Nanoporentechniken zur Sequenzierung und Detektion von Nukleinsäuren

Macromolecular Information Transfer

Macromolecular information transfer can be defined as the process by which a coded monomer sequence is communicated from one macromolecule to another. In such a transfer process, the information sequence can be kept identical, transformed into a complementary sequence or even translated into a different molecular language. Such mechanisms are crucial in biology and take place in DNA→DNA replication, DNA→RNA transcription and RNA→protein translation. In fact, there would be no life on Earth without macromolecular information transfer. Mimicking such processes with synthetic macromolecules would also be of major scientific relevance because it would open up new avenues for technological applications (e.g. data storage and processing) but also for the creation of artificial life. In this important context, this minireview summarizes recent research about information transfer in synthetic oligomers and polymers. Medium- and long-term perspectives are also discussed.

Heterogeneous Electrospinning Nanofiber Membranes with pH-regulated Ion Gating for Tunable Osmotic Power Harvesting

Biological ion channels existing in organisms are critical for many biological processes. Inspired by biological ion channels, the heterogeneous electrospinning nanofiber membranes (HENM) with functional ion channels are constructed by electrospinning technology. The HENM successfully realizes ion-gating effects, which can be used for tunable energy conversions. Introduction of pyridine and carboxylic acid groups into the HENM plays an important role in generating unique and stable ion transport behaviors, in which gates become alternative states of open and close, responding to symmetric/asymmetric pH stimulations. Then we used the HENM to convert osmotic energy into electric energy which reach a maximum value up to 12.34 W m^-2 and the output power density of HENM-based system could be regulated by ion-gating effects. The properties of the HENM provide widespread potentials in application of smart nanofluidic devices, energy conversion, and water treatment.

Nanopore-Based Confined Spaces for Single-Molecular Analysis

The field of nanopore sensing at the single-molecular level is in a "boom" period. Such nanopores, which are either composed of biological materials or are fabricated from solid-state substrates, offer a unique confined space that is compatible with the single-molecular scale. Under the influence of an electrical field, such single-biomolecular interfaces can read single-molecular information and, if appropriately fine-tuned, each molecule plays its individual ionic rhythm to compose a "molecular symphony". Over the past few decades, many research groups have worked on nanopore-based single-molecular sensors for a range of thrilling chemical and clinical applications. Furthermore, for the past decade, we have also focused on nanopore-based sensors. In this Minireview, we summarize the recent developments in fundamental research and applications in this area, along with data algorithms and advances in hardware, which act as infrastructure for the electrochemical analysis.

Insight into How Telomeric G-Quadruplexes Enhance the Peroxidase Activity of Cellular Hemin

The toxic oxidative damage of G-quadruplexes (G4), linked to neurodegenerative diseases, may arise from their ability to bind and oxidatively activate cellular hemin. However, there have been no precise studies on how telomeric G4 enhances the low intrinsic peroxidase activity of hemin. Herein, a label-free and nanopore-based strategy was developed to explore the enhancement mechanism of peroxidase activity of hemin induced by telomeric G4 (d(TTAGGG)n ). The nanopore-based strategy demonstrated that there were simultaneously two different binding modes of telomere G4 to hemin. At the single-molecule level, it was found that the hybrid structural telomeric G4 directly binds to hemin (the affinity constant (Ka )≈106  m-1 ) to form a tight complex, and some of them underwent a topological change to a parallel structure with an enhancement of Ka to approximately 107  m-1 . Through detailed analysis of the topology and peroxidase activity and molecular modeling investigations, the parallel telomere G4/hemin DNAzyme structure was proven to be preferable for high peroxidase activity. Upon strong π-π stacking, the parallel structural telomere G4 supplied a key axial ligand to the hemin iron, which accelerated the intermediate compound formation with H2 O2 in the catalytic cycle. Our studies developed a label-free and single-molecule strategy to fundamentally understand the catalytic activity and mechanism of telomeric DNAzyme, which provides some support for utilizing the toxic, oxidative-damage property in cellular oxidative disease and anticancer therapeutics.

Nanotechnology-based strategies for the detection and quantification of microRNA

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression, and many pathological conditions, including cancer, are characterized by altered miRNA expression levels. Therefore, accurate and sensitive quantification of miRNAs may result in correct disease diagnosis establishing these small noncoding RNA transcripts as valuable biomarkers. Aiming at overcoming some limitations of conventional quantification strategies, nanotechnology is currently providing numerous significant alternatives to miRNA sensing. In this review an up-to-date account of nanotechnology-based strategies for miRNA detection and quantification is given. The topics covered are: nanoparticle-based approaches in solution, sensing based on nanostructured surfaces, combined nanoparticle/surface sensing approaches, and single-molecule approaches.