Gold nanoparticles labeled by both antibody (IgG) and single stranded DNA (ss-DNA) have been synthesized and characterized. The stability and reactivity of the dual-labeled nanoparticles were compared with the conventional IgG or ss-DNA modified nanoparticles. It was found that the IgG adsorption significantly improved the stability of the nanoparticles in aqueous solution, which is beneficial for attaching ss-DNA. The presence of IgG also effectively prohibits the desorption of ss-DNA against dithiothreitol (DTT) displacement. The coverage on dual-labeled nanoparticles was found to be 50 +/- 15 ss-DNA/nanoparticle and 10 +/- 2 IgG/nanoparticle, respectively, compared to the value of 70 +/- 15 ss-DNA/nanoparticle of only ss-DNA-labeled gold nanoparticles. Dot-immuno and cross-linking experiments confirmed that both the IgG and ss-DNA retained their bioactivity on the nanoparticle surface. The dual-labeled nanoparticles have potential to be used as novel bio-probes for ultrasensitive detection. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.