Experimental and simulation studies of a real-time polymerase chain reaction in the presence of a fullerene derivative

The real-time polymerase chain reaction of the plant gene heat shock transcription factor was fully inhibited in the presence of a fullerene derivative C-60(OH)(20) at a concentration of 4 x 10(-4) mM. This inhibition was attributed to the interaction between the nanoparticle and Taq DNA polymerase in the reaction. Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations showed a clear tendency for hydrogen bonding between C-60(OH)(20) and both the dNTPs and ssDNA components of the polymerase chain reaction. These studies facilitate our understanding of the fate of nanoparticles in biomolecular systems, a topic of tremendous importance for addressing the biological and environmental implications of nanomaterials.