title: Tunable hydrophobicity in DNA micelles: design, synthesis, and characterization of a new family of DNA amphiphiles.
abstract: This work describes the synthesis and characterization of a new family of DNA amphiphiles containing modified nucleobases. The hydrophobicity was imparted by the introduction of a dodec-1-yne chain at the 5-position of the uracil base, which allowed precise and simple tuning of the hydrophobic properties through solid-phase DNA synthesis. The micelles formed from these modified DNA sequences were characterized by atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. These experiments revealed the role of the quantity and location of the hydrophobic units in determining the morphology and stability of the micelles. The effects of hybridization on the physical characteristics of the DNA micelles were also studied; these results showed potential for the sequence-specific noncovalent functionalization of the self-assembled aggregates.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anaya
authors.forename: Minseok
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kwak
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Musser
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Müllen
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Herrmann
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry; D008823:Micelles; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D009711:Nucleotides / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D008823:Micelles; D009711:Nucleotides; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D004247:DNA