Nucleic acid nanostructures and biosensors in biotechnological applications
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Authors
Kizer, Megan
Issue Date
2019-05
Type
Electronic thesis
Thesis
Thesis
Language
ENG
Keywords
Chemistry
Alternative Title
Abstract
Utilizing Watson-Crick base pairing, cross-over and other non-canonical structural motifs found in biology, nucleic acids sequence can be programmed and evolved to generate a variety of nanoscale structures with specific shapes and modalities. These nucleic acid nanostructures have been implemented in a variety of applications including drug delivery, biosensing, biological computation, and energy transfer. In this work, we focus on the use of nucleic acid nanotechnology in three general areas: (1) stability and storage, (2) microfluidic technologies, and (3) biosensing. Since DNA is sensitive to ions and nucleases, we investigate the stability of these nanostructures under various in vitro conditions as well as after immediate entry into the cell. These vulnerabilities also pose issues for long-term storage. As such, a paper-based storage method is investigated to increase shelf-life and applicability of DNA nanostructures in a clinical setting. Cellular delivery of DNA nanostructures typically relies on the cells’ natural endocytosis mechanisms, which provides unstable environments and long incubation times. We therefore developed two microfluidic-based hydroporators to rapidly and efficiently deliver DNA nanomaterials to various cell types. Finally, we present diverse nucleic acid based biosensing applications, by investigating RNA aptamers ability to detect glycosaminoglycans, a multivalent DNA nanostructure for potent detection and inhibition of Dengue and Zika viruses, and protein-based recognition of a structural DNA motif. Together, these studies compile a comprehensive investigation into the biotechnological capability and stability of nucleic acid nanotechnology.
Description
May 2019
School of Science
School of Science
Full Citation
Publisher
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY