Conformational Control of Energy Transfer: A Mechanism for Biocompatible Nanocrystal-Based Sensors†

1. Dr. Euan R. Kay^1,2,‡, 
2. Jungmin Lee^1,‡,
3. Prof. Daniel G. Nocera¹, 
4. Prof. Moungi G. Bawendi^1,*

DOI: 10.1002/anie.201207181

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Know when to fold ’em: Combination of a pH-triggered oligonucleotide conformational switch with fluorescent nanocrystals gives a sensitive pH nanosensor (see scheme). Analyte-dependent conformational changes control the distance between the nanocrystal energy donor (green) and a FRET acceptor (red), which results in a reporter for pH values in individual endosomes of living cells.