title: Double-degradable responsive self-assembled multivalent arrays--temporary nanoscale recognition between dendrons and DNA.
abstract: This article reports self-assembling dendrons which bind DNA in a multivalent manner. The molecular design directly impacts on self-assembly which subsequently controls the way these multivalent nanostructures bind DNA--this can be simulated by multiscale modelling. Incorporation of an S-S linkage between the multivalent hydrophilic dendron and the hydrophobic units responsible for self-assembly allows these structures to undergo triggered reductive cleavage, with dithiothreitol (DTT) inducing controlled breakdown, enabling the release of bound DNA. As such, the high-affinity self-assembled multivalent binding is temporary. Furthermore, because the multivalent dendrons are constructed from esters, a second slow degradation step causes further breakdown of these structures. This two-step double-degradation mechanism converts a large self-assembling unit with high affinity for DNA into small units with no measurable binding affinity--demonstrating the advantage of self-assembled multivalency (SAMul) in achieving highly responsive nanoscale binding of biological targets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK. david.smith@york.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barnard
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Posocco
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fermeglia
authors.forename: Ariane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tschiche
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calderon
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pricl
authors.forename: David K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis*; D050091:Dendrimers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008823:Micelles; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D050091:Dendrimers; D008823:Micelles; D004247:DNA