Interactions between carbon nanotubes and DNA polymerase and restriction endonucleases

Effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) functionalized with and without carboxylic groups on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction digestion reaction were investigated. The results showed that CNT can reduce and even inhibit PCR and restriction digestion reaction, possibly due to the decrease of respective enzyme activity. The inhibition effect on double restriction digestion reaction and PCR was increased in the order of CNT-COOH > pristine CNT and SWCNT> MWCNT. This study demonstrated that CNT may significantly affect the efficiency of biochemical reactions through different action mechanisms, which is critical for understanding how nanomaterials impact biological systems. © IOP Publishing Ltd.