Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Cholesterol-DNA Nanorods

Abstract

Amphiphilic DNA block copolymers have been utilized in preparing self-assembled amphiphilic structures in aqueous solution. These block copolymers usually contain specifically designed hydrophobic regions, and typically assemble under near-physiological conditions. Here, we report self-assembly of spherical micelles and one-dimensional nanorods under acidic conditions from cholesterol-conjugated DNA strands (Cholesterol-DNA). Further study also revealed that the nanorods were hierarchically assembled from the micelle nanostructures. The morphology of the nanorod assemblies can be tuned by altering solution condition and the design of Cholesterol-DNA. The self-assembly of Cholesterol-DNA nanostructures under acidic conditions and the discovery of the relationship between the nanorods and the micelles can provide new insights for future design of self-assemblies of amphiphilic DNA block copolymers.

Nucleic Acids Based Polyelectrolyte Complexes: Their Complexation Mechanism, Morphology, and Stability

“…A new topic closely related to DNA complexation with block copolymer is the complexation of DNA-containing block copolymer with polycation. DNA/RNA block copolymers are hybrid materials that contain both DNA/RNA and synthetic polymer linked into a blocky chain structure, and their synthesis has been reported by a number of research groups including us. − DNA/RNA block copolymers are capable of self-assembly to form micelles, and the micelle morphology can be tuned by factors such as solvent ionic strength, block composition, and hybridization state . While studies involve the complexation of DNA/RNA block copolymers with cationic polymers are still very limited, the available few studies already show interesting observations. , For example, Oishi et al prepared siRNA- b -PEG block copolymer and then complexed it with PLL .…”

Thermosetting supramolecular polymerization of compartmentalized DNA fibers with stereo sequence and length control

“…1,2,[13][14][15][16][17][18] By exploiting the kinetics of an assembly, particular intermediates may be trapped and used to guide the polymerization through a desired mechanistic pathway. [19][20][21][22] For example,…”

Bottom-Up Fabrication of DNA-Templated Electronic Nanomaterials and Their Characterization

“…Further control of DNA origami placement might be achieved by using multiple complementary regions with different base sequences. Zhang et al [ 75 ] used cholesterol-DNA with specific sequences to form spherical micelles and nanorods in aqueous solution. They adjusted the design of the structures through pH, DNA sequence, length of the connecting spacers and the salt concentration.…”