DNA-nanostructured modular energy transfer arrays and their enhancement with gold nanoparticles

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Authors
Anderson, Nathaniel T.
Issue Date
2018-12
Type
Electronic thesis
Thesis
Language
ENG
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Chemistry
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Abstract
DNA nanostructures, including DNA origami, are combinations of synthetic and natural DNA oligonucleotides which self-assemble through canonical Watson-Crick base pairing. Various 2D and 3D nanostructures can be designed allowing for precise nanoscale positioning of covalently bound external ligands. In this thesis, DNA nanoplatforms including simple duplexes as well as a DNA origami rectangle are used to arrange a series of synthetic chromophores into energy-transfer arrays. Through Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), energy produced by exciting these chromophores with light is passed downhill towards an acceptor chromophore in a design which mimics similar naturally occurring systems. In each of these arrays, the final acceptor chromophore is an in-house synthesized zinc(II) tetraphenyl porphyrin derivative, ZnTPEP, which provides convenient morphology and spectral properties to construct the arrays. The donor chromophores include two commercially available Alexa Fluor chromophores, Alexa Fluor 488 (A488) and Alexa Fluor 546 (A546). These three chromophores are attached to single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) through two different types of covalent chemistry, including copper(I) catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) as has been previously taken advantage of by our group.
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December 2018
School of Science
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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
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