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Updated: Mar 29, 2026
Synthesis of Information-bearing Peptoids and their Sequence-directed Dynamic Covalent Self-assembly
Published on: February 6, 2020
Flexibility of C3h -Symmetrical Linkers in Tris-oligonucleotide-Based Tetrahedral Scaffolds
Christos Panagiotidis1, Stephanie Kath-Schorr2, Günter von Kiedrowski3
1Lehrstuhl für Organische Chemie I, Bioorganische Chemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany. christos.panagiotidis@ruhr-uni-bochum.de.
Abstract:
Flexibility of tris-oligonucleotides is determined by the length of their connecting hydrocarbon chains. Tris-oligonucleotides are branched DNA building blocks with three oligonucleotide arms attached to a C3h -symmetrical linker core at these chains. Four tris-oligonucleotides hybridise into a tetrahedral nanocage by sequence-determined self-assembly. The influence of methylene, ethylene and propylene chains was studied by synthesising sets of tris-oligonucleotides and analysing the relative stability of the hybridisation products against digestion by mung bean nuclease by using gel electrophoresis. Linkers with ethylene chains showed sufficient flexibility, whereas methylene-chain linkers were too rigid. Tris-oligonucleotides based on the latter still formed tetrahedral scaffolds in intermixing experiments with linkers of higher flexibility. Thus, a new generation of versatile isocyanurate-based linkers was established.
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