DNA micelle flares: a study of the basic properties that contribute to enhanced stability and binding affinity in complex biological systems

Yanyue Wang; Cuichen Wu; Tao Chen; Hao Sun; Sena Cansiz; Liqin Zhang; Cheng Cui; Weijia Hou; Yuan Wu; Shuo Wan; Ren Cai; Yuan Liu; Brent S. Sumerlin; Xiaobing Zhang; Weihong Tan

doi:10.1039/C6SC00066E

DNA micelle flares: a study of the basic properties that contribute to enhanced stability and binding affinity in complex biological systems†

Yanyue Wang,‡^a Cuichen Wu,

‡^ab Tao Chen,^ab Hao Sun,^c Sena Cansiz,^a Liqin Zhang,^a Cheng Cui,^a Weijia Hou,^a Yuan Wu,^ab Shuo Wan,^a Ren Cai,^a Yuan Liu,^a Brent S. Sumerlin,^c Xiaobing Zhang*^b and Weihong Tan*^ab

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a Center for Research at Bio/Nano Interface, Department of Chemistry, Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, Health Cancer Center, UF Genetics Institute and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-7200, USA
E-mail: tan@chem.ufl.edu

^b Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biology, Collaborative Research Center of Molecular Engineering for Theranostics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China

^c George & Josephine Butler Polymer Research Laboratory, Center for Macromolecular Science & Engineering, Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-7200, USA

Abstract

DMFs are spherical DNA–diacyllipid nanostructures formed by hydrophobic effects between lipid tails coupled to single-stranded DNAs. Such properties as high cellular permeability, low critical micelle concentration (CMC) and facile fabrication facilitate intracellular imaging and drug delivery. While the basic properties of NFs have been amply described and tested, few studies have characterized the fundamental properties of DMFs with particular respect to aggregation number, dissociation constant and biostability. Therefore, to further explore their conformational features and enhanced stability in complex biological systems, we herein report a series of characterization studies. Static light scattering (SLS) demonstrated that DMFs possess greater DNA loading capacity when compared to other DNA-based nanostructures. Upon binding to complementary DNA (cDNA), DMFs showed excellent dissociation constants (K_d) and increased melting temperatures, as well as constant CMC (10 nM) independent of DNA length. DMFs also present significantly enhanced stability in aqueous solution with nuclease and cell lysate. These properties make DMFs ideal for versatile applications in bioanalysis and theranostics studies.

Chemical Science

DNA micelle flares: a study of the basic properties that contribute to enhanced stability and binding affinity in complex biological systems†

Abstract

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DNA micelle flares: a study of the basic properties that contribute to enhanced stability and binding affinity in complex biological systems

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