nl7b00814_si_001.pdf (488.58 kB)
A DNA Nanodevice That Loads and Releases a Cargo with Hemoglobin-Like Allosteric Control and Cooperativity
journal contribution
posted on 2017-04-07, 00:00 authored by Davide Mariottini, Andrea Idili, Alexis Vallée-Bélisle, Kevin W. Plaxco, Francesco RicciHere
we report the rational design of a synthetic molecular nanodevice
that is directly inspired from hemoglobin, a highly evolved protein
whose oxygen-carrying activity is finely regulated by a sophisticated
network of control mechanisms. Inspired by the impressive performance
of hemoglobin we have designed and engineered in vitro a synthetic
DNA-based nanodevice containing up to four interacting binding sites
that, like hemoglobin, can load and release a cargo over narrow concentration
ranges, and whose affinity can be finely controlled via both allosteric
effectors and environmental cues like pH and temperature. As the first
example of a synthetic DNA nanodevice that undergoes a complex network
of nature-inspired control mechanisms, this represents an important
step toward the use of similar nanodevices for diagnostic and drug-delivery
applications.