title: Semi-synthetic nucleic acid-protein conjugates: applications in life sciences and nanobiotechnology.
abstract: Semi-synthetic conjugates of nucleic acids and proteins can be generated by either covalent coupling chemistry, or else by non-covalent biomolecular recognition systems, such as receptor-ligands of complementary nucleic acids. These nucleic acid-protein conjugates are versatile molecular tools which can be applied, for instance, in the self-assembly of high-affinity reagents for immunological detection assays, the fabrication of laterally microstructured biochips containing functional biological groups, and the biomimetic 'bottom-up' synthesis of nanostructured supramolecular devices. This review summarizes the current state-of-the-art synthesis and characterization methods of artificial nucleic acid-protein conjugates, as well as applications and perspectives for future developments of such hybrid biomolecular components in life sciences and nanobiotechnology.
authors: Universität Bremen, FB2-UFT, Biotechnologie und Molekulare Genetik, Germany. cmn@uni-bremen.de
authors: C M
authors: CM
authors: Niemeyer
mesh_terms: D001709:Biotechnology; D019921:Biotinylation; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D011506:Proteins / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D019809:Streptavidin / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D009696:Nucleic Acids; D011506:Proteins; D004247:DNA; D019809:Streptavidin