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.