
Modular self-assembly of gamma-modified peptide nucleic acids - headalgorithm
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-16759-8
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headalgorithm
Abstract:

Nucleic acid-based materials enable sub-nanometer precision in self-assembly
for fields including biophysics, diagnostics, therapeutics, photonics, and
nanofabrication. However, structural DNA nanotechnology has been limited to
substantially hydrated media. Transfer to organic solvents commonly used in
polymer and peptide synthesis results in the alteration of DNA helical
structure or reduced thermal stabilities. Here we demonstrate that gamma-
modified peptide nucleic acids (γPNA) can be used to enable formation of
complex, self-assembling nanostructures in select polar aprotic organic
solvent mixtures. However, unlike the diameter-monodisperse populations of
nanofibers formed using analogous DNA approaches, γPNA structures appear to
form bundles of nanofibers. A tight distribution of the nanofiber diameters
could, however, be achieved in the presence of the surfactant SDS during self-
assembly. We further demonstrate nanostructure morphology can be tuned by
means of solvent solution and by strand substitution with DNA and unmodified
PNA. This work thereby introduces a science of γPNA nanotechnology.

