School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Chembiochem. 2023 Sep 1;24(17):e202300223. doi: 10.1002/cbic.202300223. Epub 2023 May 9.
Peptides and DNA are two of the most commonly used self-assembling biological molecules for the construction of nanomaterials. However, there are only a few examples that combine these two self-assembly motifs as key structural elements in a nanostructure. We report on the synthesis of a peptide-DNA conjugate that self-assembles into a stable homotrimer based on the coiled-coil motif. The hybrid peptide-DNA trimer was then used as a novel three-way junction to link together either small DNA tile nanostructures, or to close up a triangular wireframe DNA structure. The resulting nanostructures were characterized by atomic force microscopy, and compared with a scrambled, non-assembling peptide as a control. These hybrid nanostructures enable the integration of peptide motifs and potentially bio-functionality with DNA nanostructures, and open the door to novel nano-materials that have the advantages of both molecules.
肽和 DNA 是两种最常用于构建纳米材料的自组装生物分子。然而，只有少数几个例子将这两种自组装模式作为关键结构元件结合在一个纳米结构中。我们报告了一种肽-DNA 缀合物的合成，该缀合物基于卷曲螺旋结构自组装成稳定的同源三聚体。然后，该杂合肽-DNA 三聚体被用作新型三链结，将小的 DNA 瓦片纳米结构连接在一起，或者将三角形的线框 DNA 结构封闭起来。通过原子力显微镜对所得的纳米结构进行了表征，并与作为对照的无组装肽的乱序肽进行了比较。这些杂化纳米结构使肽基序和潜在的生物功能与 DNA 纳米结构集成成为可能，并为具有这两种分子优势的新型纳米材料开辟了道路。
