| AVS 62nd International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Biomaterial Interfaces | Wednesday Sessions |
| Session BI-WeA |
| Session: | Biophysics, Membranes and Nanoscale Biological Interfaces |
| Presenter: | Stefan Zauscher, Duke University |
| Authors: | L. Tang, Duke University R. Gu, Duke University J. Lamas, Texas State University N. Li, North Carolina State University S. Rastogi, Texas State University A. Chilkoti, Duke University W. Brittain, Texas State University Y.G. Yingling, North Carolina State University S. Zauscher, Duke University |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Polynucleotide co-polymers promise a rich micellization behavior in solution and hold promise for novel functional materials in nano- and biotechnological applications. We report on the synthesis of biologically-inspired polynucleotides with well-defined sequence, dispersity, and assembly function that have large potential for applications ranging from delivery vehicles of medical therapeutics, sensing applications, to scaffolds for nanowires. Specifically, we exploit the ability of the DNA polymerase, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), to polymerize long chains of single strand DNA (ssDNA) and to incorporate unnatural nucleotides with useful functional groups into the growing polynucleotide chain. Furthermore, we demonstrate the reversible micellar aggregation of a DNA-azobenzene conjugate, in which the photoisomerization of the initially apolar trans-azobenzene moiety to the polar cis isomer causes disassembly of the aggregates. Finally, we show how coarse-grained simulations can be used to describe the conformational characteristics of the engineered ssDNA blocks and their self-assembly into a rich spectrum of biomolecular nanostructures in solution and on surfaces.