Protein Fibril-Templated Biomimetic Synthesis of Highly Fluorescent Gold Nanoclusters and Their Applications in Cysteine Sensing

Biomimetic synthesis of multifunctional fluorescent gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) is of great demand because of their ever-increasing applications. In this study, we have used self-assembled bovine serum albumin (BSA) amyloid-like nanofibers as the bioinspired scaffold for the synthesis of Au NCs. The amyloid fibril stabilized gold nanocluster (Fib-Au NC) has been found to have appreciable enhancement of fluorescence emission and a large 25 nm red shift in its emission maxima when compared to its monomeric protein counterpart (BSA-Au NC). The underlying mechanism accountable for the fluorescence behavior and its spectral shift has been thoroughly investigated by a combined use of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. We have subsequently demonstrated the use of Fib-Au NCs for cysteine (Cys) sensing both in vitro and inside live cells. Additionally, cellular uptake and postpermeation effect of Fib-Au NCs have also been ascertained by detailed flow cytometry analysis, viability assay, and real-time apoptotic gene expression profiling.