Poster abstracts

Poster number 118 submitted by Arlin Rodriguez

Self-Assembly of DNA Nanostructures in Different Cations

Arlin Rodrguez (The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA.), Dhanush Gandavadi (Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.), Johnsi Mathivanan (The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA.), Tingjie Song (Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Lab HMNTL, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.), Bharath Raj Madhanagopal (The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA.), Hannah Talbot (The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA.)

Abstract:
DNA nanostructures have been used for a variety of biological and science applications. DNA nanostructures formation and structural stability often need high concentrations of magnesium ions, restricting their uses. While chemically diverse conditions have been investigated for DNA nanostructures assembly, only a limited set of divalent and monovalent ions (usually Mg2+and Na+) have been used thus far. Here, we investigated the assembly of DNA nanostructures in a wide range of ions using DNA nanostructures of various sizes: a double-crossover motif (76 bp), a three-point-star motif (134 bp), a DNA tetrahedron (534 bp), and a DNA origami triangle (7221 bp). We show that most of these structures can be successfully assembled in Ca2+, Ba2+, Na+, K+, and Li+, and we provide quantified assembly yields using gel electrophoresis and visual confirmation of a DNA origami triangle using atomic force microscopy. We also show that structures assembled in monovalent ions (Na+, K+, and Li+) show up to 10-fold higher nuclease resistance compared to structures assembled in divalent ions (Mg2+, Ca2+, and Ba2+). Our work adds to existing studies on solution conditions for DNA nanostructure assembly while also presenting novel assembly conditions for a wide spectrum of DNA nanostructures with improved biostability.

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Keywords: Cations, Nanostructure