DNA-origami technique for olympic gels

Taking advantage of the specific base-pairing interaction of DNA, I propose a robust method for creating melt topological or “olympic” gels. Flexible polymers which have been end-decorated with complimentary base-pair sequences will undergo end-closing reactions with either themselves (forming loops...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Europhysics letters 2006-11, Vol.76 (4), p.616-622
Main Author: Pickett, G. T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
61.82.Pv
81.16.Fg
87.14.Gg
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Summary:Taking advantage of the specific base-pairing interaction of DNA, I propose a robust method for creating melt topological or “olympic” gels. Flexible polymers which have been end-decorated with complimentary base-pair sequences will undergo end-closing reactions with either themselves (forming loops) or with neighboring chains (creating linear, but lengthened chains). The loop-forming or chain-forming process can be controlled by how many distinct ligand pairs occur in the system. A gel formed of these interlocking rings will display a sensitivity to dissolve when brought into contact with a large concentration of DNA fragments, thus giving a biologically-specific trigger for drug delivery by olympic microgels.
ISSN:0295-5075
1286-4854
DOI:10.1209/epl/i2006-10302-7