Enhancing Biocompatible Stability of DNA Nanostructures Using Dendritic Oligonucleotides and Brick Motifs

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• DNA nanostructures are increasingly used in biomedical applications.
• Ensuring structural stability under physiological conditions is crucial.
• Current stabilization methods often involve encapsulation or chemical modification, limiting accessibility or altering DNA properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel method for stabilizing DNA nanostructures.
• To enhance the robustness of DNA brick nanostructures for biomedical applications.
• To avoid chemical modifications and maintain accessibility of DNA strands.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of DNA brick nanostructures.
• Attachment of dendritic oligonucleotides to the outer surface of nanostructures.
• Assessment of nanostructure stability against denaturation and nuclease digestion.

Main Results:

• DNA brick nanostructures assembled with dendritic oligonucleotides demonstrated stability against denaturation without chemical alteration.
• Dense surface coating with dendritic oligonucleotides effectively prevented nuclease digestion.
• The method preserves accessibility to the nanostructure's internal DNA components.

Conclusions:

• Dendritic oligonucleotide surface functionalization offers a non-chemical strategy for stabilizing DNA nanostructures.
• This approach enhances the suitability of DNA nanomaterials for in vivo biomedical applications.
• The method provides a robust and accessible platform for DNA-based nanodevices.