A DNA Nanostructure for the Functional Assembly of Chemical Groups with Tunable Stoichiometry and Defined Nanoscale Geometry

摘要

DNA is a versatile material in nano-biotechnology and chemical biology. DNA strands can be sequence-specifically assembled into artificial higher-order nanoscale structures that are useful in, for example, biotemplating, biocomput-ing, sensing, and biophysical studies. In chemical biology, hybridization of chemically modified strands into DNA duplexes has been utilized to bring chemical groups into defined contact to, for example, enhance their reaction. Herein we describe a new approach which merges DNA-based nanostructures and the chemical modification of DNA. We show that tetrahedron-shaped nanostructures can act as scaffolds to assemble a multitude of different chemical groups at tunable stoichiometry and at geometrically defined sites. The resulting molecular entities exhibit functional properties beneficial in biosensing and diagnostics. Our new strategy for assembling chemical groups at the nanoscale may be expanded to endow other DNA structures with rationally designed functions.