Formation of non-base-pairing DNA microgels using directed phase transition of amphiphilic monomersopen access
- Authors
- Lee, Chanseok; Do, Sungho; Lee, Jae Young; Kim, Minju; Kim, Sang Moon; Shin, Yongdae; Kim, Do-Nyun
- Issue Date
- Apr-2022
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Citation
- Nucleic Acids Research, v.50, no.7, pp 4187 - 4196
- Pages
- 10
- Indexed
- SCIE
SCOPUS
- Journal Title
- Nucleic Acids Research
- Volume
- 50
- Number
- 7
- Start Page
- 4187
- End Page
- 4196
- URI
- https://scholarworks.bwise.kr/erica/handle/2021.sw.erica/118184
- DOI
- 10.1093/nar/gkac232
- ISSN
- 0305-1048
1362-4962
- Abstract
- Programmability of DNA sequences enables the formation of synthetic DNA nanostructures and their macromolecular assemblies such as DNA hydrogels. The base pair-level interaction of DNA is a foundational and powerful mechanism to build DNA structures at the nanoscale; however, its temperature sensitivity and weak interaction force remain a barrier for the facile and scalable assembly of DNA structures toward higher-order structures. We conducted this study to provide an alternative, non-base-pairing approach to connect nanoscale DNA units to yield micrometer-sized gels based on the sequential phase transition of amphiphilic unit structures. Strong electrostatic interactions between DNA nanostructures and polyelectrolyte spermines led to the formation of giant phase-separated aggregates of monomer units. Gelation could be initiated by the addition of NaCl, which weakened the electrostatic DNA-spermine interaction while attractive interactions between cholesterols created stable networks by crosslinking DNA monomers. In contrast to the conventional DNA gelation techniques, our system used solid aggregates as a precursor for DNA microgels. Therefore, in situ gelation could be achieved by depositing aggregates on the desired substrate and subsequently initiating a phase transition. Our approach can expand the utility and functionality of DNA hydrogels by using more complex nucleic acid assemblies as unit structures and combining the technique with top-down microfabrication methods. © 2022 The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.
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