Three-dimensional organization of block copolymers on "DNA-minimal" scaffolds.
Here, we introduce a 3D-DNA construction method that assembles a minimum number of DNA strands in quantitative yield, to give a scaffold with a large number of single-stranded arms. This DNA frame is used as a core structure to organize other functional materials in 3D as the shell. We use the ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) to generate block copolymers that are covalently attached to DNA strands. Site-specific hybridization of these DNA-polymer chains on the single-stranded arms of the 3D-DNA scaffold gives efficient access to DNA-block copolymer cages. These biohybrid cages possess polymer chains that are programmably positioned in three dimensions on a DNA core and display increased nuclease resistance as compared to unfunctionalized DNA cages.
Department of Chemistry and Center for Self-Assembled Chemical Structures (CSACS), McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC H3A-2K6, Canada.
Christopher K
CK
McLaughlin
Graham D
GD
Hamblin
Kevin D
KD
Hänni
Justin W
JW
Conway
Manoj K
MK
Nayak
Karina M M
KM
Carneiro
Hassan S
HS
Bazzi
Hanadi F
HF
Sleiman
D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010316:Particle Size; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
D011108:Polymers; D004247:DNA