1
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Trapella M, Bellini T, De Michele C. In silico study of DNA mononucleotide self-assembly. J Chem Phys 2024; 161:134905. [PMID: 39356071 DOI: 10.1063/5.0226019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2024] [Accepted: 09/18/2024] [Indexed: 10/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent experiments have demonstrated the self-assembly and long-range ordering of concentrated aqueous solutions of DNA and RNA mononucleotides. These are found to form Watson-Crick pairs that stack into columns that become spatially organized into a columnar liquid-crystalline phase. In this work, we numerically investigate this phase behavior by adopting an extremely coarse-grained model in which nucleotides are represented as semi-disk-like polyhedra decorated with attractive (patchy) sites that mimic the stacking and pairing interactions. We carry out Monte Carlo simulations of these patchy polyhedra by adapting algorithms borrowed from computer graphics. This model reproduces the features of the experimental phase behavior, which essentially depends on the combination of pairing and stacking interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Trapella
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia, Università di Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Tommaso Bellini
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
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2
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Morimitsu Y, Browne CA, Liu Z, Severino PG, Gopinadhan M, Sirota EB, Altintas O, Edmond KV, Osuji CO. Spontaneous assembly of condensate networks during the demixing of structured fluids. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2407914121. [PMID: 39269770 PMCID: PMC11441503 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2407914121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation, whereby two liquids spontaneously demix, is ubiquitous in industrial, environmental, and biological processes. While isotropic fluids are known to condense into spherical droplets in the binodal region, these dynamics are poorly understood for structured fluids. Here, we report the unique observation of condensate networks, which spontaneously assemble during the demixing of a mesogen from a solvent. Condensing mesogens form rapidly elongating filaments, rather than spheres, to relieve distortion of an internal smectic mesophase. As filaments densify, they collapse into bulged discs, lowering the elastic free energy. Additional distortion is relieved by retraction of filaments into the discs, which are straightened under tension to form a ramified network. Understanding and controlling these dynamics may provide different avenues to direct pattern formation or template materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuma Morimitsu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Christopher A. Browne
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Zhe Liu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Paul G. Severino
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Manesh Gopinadhan
- Research Division, ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, Annandale, NJ08801
| | - Eric B. Sirota
- Research Division, ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, Annandale, NJ08801
| | - Ozcan Altintas
- Research Division, ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, Annandale, NJ08801
| | - Kazem V. Edmond
- Research Division, ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, Annandale, NJ08801
| | - Chinedum O. Osuji
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
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3
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Hagemans F, Hazra N, Lovasz VD, Awad AJ, Frenken M, Babenyshev A, Laukkanen OV, Braunmiller D, Richtering W, Crassous JJ. Soft and Deformable Thermoresponsive Hollow Rod-Shaped Microgels. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024:e2401376. [PMID: 39252647 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202401376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 08/28/2024] [Indexed: 09/11/2024]
Abstract
Depending on their aspect ratio, rod-shaped particles exhibit a much richer 2D and 3D phase behavior than their spherical counterparts, with additional nematic and smectic phases accompanied by defined orientational ordering. While the phase diagram of colloidal hard rods is extensively explored, little is known about the influence of softness in such systems, partly due to the absence of appropriate model systems. Additionally, investigating higher volume fractions for long rods is usually complicated because non-equilibrium dynamical arrest is likely to precede the formation of more defined states. This has motivated us to develop micrometric rod-like microgels with limited sedimentation that can respond to temperature and reversibly reorganize into defined phases via annealing and seeding procedures. A detailed procedure is presented for synthesizing rod-shaped hollow poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) microgels using micrometric silica rods as sacrificial templates. Their morphological characterization is conducted through a combination of microscopy and light scattering techniques, evidencing the unconstrained swelling of rod-shaped hollow microgels compared to core-shell microgel rods. Different aspects of their assembly in dispersion and at interfaces are further tested to illustrate the opportunities and challenges offered by such systems that combine softness, anisotropy, and thermoresponsivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Hagemans
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, DE-52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Nabanita Hazra
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, DE-52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Viktoria D Lovasz
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, DE-52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Alexander J Awad
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, DE-52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Martin Frenken
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, DE-52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Andrey Babenyshev
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, DE-52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Olli-Ville Laukkanen
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, DE-52074, Aachen, Germany
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Koivurannantie 1, Jyväskylä, 40400, Finland
| | - Dominik Braunmiller
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, DE-52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Walter Richtering
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, DE-52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Jérôme J Crassous
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, DE-52074, Aachen, Germany
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4
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Cristofaro S, Querciagrossa L, Soprani L, Fraccia TP, Bellini T, Berardi R, Arcioni A, Zannoni C, Muccioli L, Orlandi S. Simulating the Lyotropic Phase Behavior of a Partially Self-Complementary DNA Tetramer. Biomacromolecules 2024; 25:3920-3929. [PMID: 38826125 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c01435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
DNA oligomers in solution have been found to develop liquid crystal phases via a hierarchical process that involves Watson-Crick base pairing, supramolecular assembly into columns of duplexes, and long-range ordering. The multiscale nature of this phenomenon makes it difficult to quantitatively describe and assess the importance of the various contributions, particularly for very short strands. We performed molecular dynamics simulations based on the coarse-grained oxDNA model, aiming to depict all of the assembly processes involved and the phase behavior of solutions of the DNA GCCG tetramers. We find good quantitative matching to experimental data at both levels of molecular association (thermal melting) and collective ordering (phase diagram). We characterize the isotropic state and the low-density nematic and high-density columnar liquid crystal phases in terms of molecular order, size of aggregates, and structure, together with their effects on diffusivity processes. We observe a cooperative aggregation mechanism in which the formation of dimers is less thermodynamically favored than the formation of longer aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Cristofaro
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari", Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, Bologna 40136, Italy
| | - Lara Querciagrossa
- CINECA, Via Magnanelli 6/3, Casalecchio di Reno 40033, Italy
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari", Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, Bologna 40136, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Soprani
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari", Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, Bologna 40136, Italy
| | - Tommaso P Fraccia
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Tommaso Bellini
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università di Milano, Via Vanvitelli 32, Milano 20129, Italy
| | - Roberto Berardi
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari", Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, Bologna 40136, Italy
| | - Alberto Arcioni
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari", Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, Bologna 40136, Italy
| | - Claudio Zannoni
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari", Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, Bologna 40136, Italy
| | - Luca Muccioli
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari", Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, Bologna 40136, Italy
| | - Silvia Orlandi
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari", Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, Bologna 40136, Italy
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5
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Abraham GR, Chaderjian AS, N Nguyen AB, Wilken S, Saleh OA. Nucleic acid liquids. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2024; 87:066601. [PMID: 38697088 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6633/ad4662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
The confluence of recent discoveries of the roles of biomolecular liquids in living systems and modern abilities to precisely synthesize and modify nucleic acids (NAs) has led to a surge of interest in liquid phases of NAs. These phases can be formed primarily from NAs, as driven by base-pairing interactions, or from the electrostatic combination (coacervation) of negatively charged NAs and positively charged molecules. Generally, the use of sequence-engineered NAs provides the means to tune microsopic particle properties, and thus imbue specific, customizable behaviors into the resulting liquids. In this way, researchers have used NA liquids to tackle fundamental problems in the physics of finite valence soft materials, and to create liquids with novel structured and/or multi-functional properties. Here, we review this growing field, discussing the theoretical background of NA liquid phase separation, quantitative understanding of liquid material properties, and the broad and growing array of functional demonstrations in these materials. We close with a few comments discussing remaining open questions and challenges in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle R Abraham
- Physics Department,University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, United States of America
| | - Aria S Chaderjian
- Physics Department,University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, United States of America
| | - Anna B N Nguyen
- Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, United States of America
| | - Sam Wilken
- Physics Department,University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, United States of America
- Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, United States of America
| | - Omar A Saleh
- Physics Department,University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, United States of America
- Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, United States of America
- Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, United States of America
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6
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Adžić N, Jochum C, Likos CN, Stiakakis E. Engineering Ultrasoft Interactions in Stiff All-DNA Dendrimers by Site-Specific Control of Scaffold Flexibility. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2308763. [PMID: 38183376 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202308763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
A combined experimental and theoretical study of the structural correlations in moderately concentrated suspensions of all-DNA dendrimers of the second generation (G2) with controlled scaffold rigidity is reported here. Small-angle X-ray scattering experiments in concentrated aqueous saline solutions of stiff all-DNA G2 dendritic constructs reveal a novel anomalous liquid-like phase behavior which is reflected in the calculated structure factors as a two-step increase at low scattering wave vectors. By developing a new design strategy for adjusting the particle's internal flexibility based on site-selective incorporation of single-stranded DNA linkers into the dendritic scaffold, it is shown that this unconventional type of self-organization is strongly contingent on the dendrimer's stiffness. A comprehensive computer simulation study employing dendritic models with different levels of coarse-graining, and two theoretical approaches based on effective, pair-potential interactions, remarkably confirmed the origin of this unusual liquid-like behavior. The results demonstrate that the precise control of the internal structure of the dendritic scaffold conferred by the DNA can be potentially used to engineer a rich palette of novel ultrasoft interaction potentials that could offer a route for directed self-assembly of intriguing soft matter phases and experimental realizations of a host of unusual phenomena theoretically predicted for ultrasoft interacting systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataša Adžić
- Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, Vienna, A-1090, Austria
- Institute of Physics Belgrade, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, Belgrade, 11080, Serbia
| | - Clemens Jochum
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, TU Wien, Wiedner Hauptstraße 8-10, Vienna, A-1040, Austria
| | - Christos N Likos
- Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, Vienna, A-1090, Austria
| | - Emmanuel Stiakakis
- Biomacromolecular Systems and Processes, Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425, Jülich, Germany
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7
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Park SM, Yoon DK. Evaporation-induced self-assembly of liquid crystal biopolymers. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2024; 11:1843-1866. [PMID: 38375871 DOI: 10.1039/d3mh01585h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) is a process that has gained significant attention in recent years due to its fundamental science and potential applications in materials science and nanotechnology. This technique involves controlled drying of a solution or dispersion of materials, forming structures with specific shapes and sizes. In particular, liquid crystal (LC) biopolymers have emerged as promising candidates for EISA due to their highly ordered structures and biocompatible properties after deposition. This review provides an overview of recent progress in the EISA of LC biopolymers, including DNA, nanocellulose, viruses, and other biopolymers. The underlying self-assembly mechanisms, the effects of different processing conditions, and the potential applications of the resulting structures are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soon Mo Park
- Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Dong Ki Yoon
- Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
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8
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Verma A, Mateo T, Quintero Botero J, Mohankumar N, Fraccia TP. Microfluidics-Based Drying-Wetting Cycles to Investigate Phase Transitions of Small Molecules Solutions. Life (Basel) 2024; 14:472. [PMID: 38672743 PMCID: PMC11050796 DOI: 10.3390/life14040472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Drying-wetting cycles play a crucial role in the investigation of the origin of life as processes that both concentrate and induce the supramolecular assembly and polymerization of biomolecular building blocks, such as nucleotides and amino acids. Here, we test different microfluidic devices to study the dehydration-hydration cycles of the aqueous solutions of small molecules, and to observe, by optical microscopy, the insurgence of phase transitions driven by self-assembly, exploiting water pervaporation through polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). As a testbed, we investigate solutions of the chromonic dye Sunset Yellow (SSY), which self-assembles into face-to-face columnar aggregates and produces nematic and columnar liquid crystal (LC) phases as a function of concentration. We show that the LC temperature-concentration phase diagram of SSY can be obtained with a fair agreement with previous reports, that droplet hydration-dehydration can be reversibly controlled and automated, and that the simultaneous incubation of samples with different final water contents, corresponding to different phases, can be implemented. These methods can be further extended to study the assembly of diverse prebiotically relevant small molecules and to characterize their phase transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajay Verma
- IPGG, CBI UMR 8231—CNRS—ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Tiphaine Mateo
- IPGG, CBI UMR 8231—CNRS—ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France
| | | | - Nishanth Mohankumar
- IPGG, CBI UMR 8231—CNRS—ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Tommaso P. Fraccia
- IPGG, CBI UMR 8231—CNRS—ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
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9
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Chattopadhyay J, Mandal J, Maiti PK. Stability of the chiral crystal phase and breakdown of the cholesteric phase in mixtures of active-passive chiral rods. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:2464-2473. [PMID: 38381111 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01567j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
In this study, we aim to explore the effect of chirality on the phase behavior of active helical particles driven by two-temperature scalar activity. We first calculate the equation of state of soft helical particles of various intrinsic chiralities using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. In equilibrium, the emergence of various liquid crystal (LC) phases such as nematic (N), cholesteric , smectic (Sm) and crystal (K) crucially depends on the presence of walls that induce planar alignment. Next, we introduce activity through the two-temperature model: keep increasing the temperature of half of the helical particles (labeled as 'hot' particles) while maintaining the temperature of the other half at a lower value (labeled as 'cold' particles). Starting from a homogeneous isotropic (I) phase, we find the emergence of 2-TIPS: two temperature-induced phase separations between the hot and cold particles. We also observe that the cold particles undergo an ordering transition to various LC phases even in the absence of a wall. This observation reveals that the hot-cold interface in the active system plays the role of a wall in the equilibrium system by inducing an alignment direction for the cold particles. However, in the case of a cholesteric phase, we observe that activity destabilizes the phase by inducing smectic ordering in the cold zone while an isotropic structure in the hot zone. The smectic ordering in the cold zone eventually transforms to a chiral crystal phase with high enough activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayeeta Chattopadhyay
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.
| | - Jaydeep Mandal
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.
| | - Prabal K Maiti
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.
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10
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Kodikara S, Gyawali P, Gleeson JT, Jákli A, Sprunt S, Balci H. Impact of Divalent Cations on In-Layer Positional Order of DNA-Based Liquid Crystals: Implications for DNA Condensation. Biomacromolecules 2024; 25:1009-1017. [PMID: 38166360 PMCID: PMC10866144 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c01086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024]
Abstract
The layered liquid crystalline phases formed by DNA molecules, which include rigid and flexible segments ("gapped DNA"), enable the study of both end-to-end stacking and side-to-side (helix-to-helix) lateral interactions, forming a model system to study such interactions at physiologically relevant DNA and ion concentrations. The observed layer structure exhibits long-range interlayer and in-layer positional correlations. In particular, the in-layer order has implications for DNA condensation, as it reflects whether these normally repulsive interactions become attractive under certain ionic conditions. Using synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering measurements, we investigate the impact of divalent Mg2+ cations (in addition to a constant 150 mM Na+) on the stability of the inter- and in-layer DNA ordering as a function of temperature between 5 and 65 °C. DNA constructs with different terminal base pairings were created to mediate the strength of the attractive end-to-end stacking interactions between the blunt ends of the gapped DNA constructs. We demonstrate that the stabilities at a fixed DNA concentration of both interlayer and in-layer order are significantly enhanced even at a few mM Mg2+ concentration. The stabilities are even higher at 30 mM Mg2+; however, a marked decrease is observed at 100 mM Mg2+, suggesting a change in the nature of side-by-side interactions within this Mg2+ concentration range. We discuss the implications of these results in terms of counterion-mediated DNA-DNA attraction and DNA condensation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sineth
G. Kodikara
- Department
of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
| | - Prabesh Gyawali
- Department
of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
| | - James T. Gleeson
- Department
of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
| | - Antal Jákli
- Department
of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
- Advanced
Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
| | - Samuel Sprunt
- Department
of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
- Advanced
Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
| | - Hamza Balci
- Department
of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
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11
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Bartolucci G, Calaça Serrão A, Schwintek P, Kühnlein A, Rana Y, Janto P, Hofer D, Mast CB, Braun D, Weber CA. Sequence self-selection by cyclic phase separation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2218876120. [PMID: 37847736 PMCID: PMC10614837 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2218876120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of functional oligonucleotides on early Earth required a molecular selection mechanism to screen for specific sequences with prebiotic functions. Cyclic processes such as daily temperature oscillations were ubiquitous in this environment and could trigger oligonucleotide phase separation. Here, we propose sequence selection based on phase separation cycles realized through sedimentation in a system subjected to the feeding of oligonucleotides. Using theory and experiments with DNA, we show sequence-specific enrichment in the sedimented dense phase, in particular of short 22-mer DNA sequences. The underlying mechanism selects for complementarity, as it enriches sequences that tightly interact in the dense phase through base-pairing. Our mechanism also enables initially weakly biased pools to enhance their sequence bias or to replace the previously most abundant sequences as the cycles progress. Our findings provide an example of a selection mechanism that may have eased screening for auto-catalytic self-replicating oligonucleotides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Bartolucci
- Division Biological Physics, Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden01187, Germany
- Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Dresden01307, Germany
| | - Adriana Calaça Serrão
- Ludwigs-Maximilian-Universität München and Center for NanoScience, Munich80799, Germany
| | - Philipp Schwintek
- Ludwigs-Maximilian-Universität München and Center for NanoScience, Munich80799, Germany
| | - Alexandra Kühnlein
- Ludwigs-Maximilian-Universität München and Center for NanoScience, Munich80799, Germany
| | - Yash Rana
- Division Biological Physics, Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden01187, Germany
- Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Dresden01307, Germany
| | - Philipp Janto
- Ludwigs-Maximilian-Universität München and Center for NanoScience, Munich80799, Germany
| | - Dorothea Hofer
- Ludwigs-Maximilian-Universität München and Center for NanoScience, Munich80799, Germany
| | - Christof B. Mast
- Ludwigs-Maximilian-Universität München and Center for NanoScience, Munich80799, Germany
| | - Dieter Braun
- Ludwigs-Maximilian-Universität München and Center for NanoScience, Munich80799, Germany
| | - Christoph A. Weber
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Materials Engineering: Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, Augsburg86159, Germany
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12
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Šponer JE, Šponer J, Výravský J, Matyášek R, Kovařík A, Dudziak W, Ślepokura K. Crystallization as a selection force at the polymerization of nucleotides in a prebiotic context. iScience 2023; 26:107600. [PMID: 37664611 PMCID: PMC10470394 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Accumulation and selection of nucleotides is one of the most challenging problems surrounding the origin of the first RNA molecules on our planet. In the current work we propose that guanosine 3',5' cyclic monophosphate could selectively crystallize upon evaporation of an acidic prebiotic pool containing various other nucleotides. The conditions of the evaporative crystallization are fully compatible with the subsequent acid catalyzed polymerization of this cyclic nucleotide reported in earlier studies and may be relevant in a broad range of possible prebiotic environments. Albeit cytidine 3',5' cyclic monophosphate has the ability to selectively accumulate under the same conditions, its crystal structure is not likely to support polymer formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit E. Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Výravský
- TESCAN Brno, s.r.o, Libušina třída 1, 62300 Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Geological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Roman Matyášek
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Aleš Kovařík
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Wojciech Dudziak
- University of Wrocław, Faculty of Chemistry, 14 F. Joliot-Curie, 50-383 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Ślepokura
- University of Wrocław, Faculty of Chemistry, 14 F. Joliot-Curie, 50-383 Wrocław, Poland
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13
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Park SM, Park G, Yoon DK. Paintable Physical Unclonable Functions using DNA. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2302135. [PMID: 37145961 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202302135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Controversy over artwork's authenticity is ongoing despite numerous technologies for copyright protection. Artists should build their own ways to protect the authority, but these are still open to piracy. Here, a platform is proposed for developing anticounterfeiting labels based on physical unclonable functions (PUFs), in an artist-friendly manner, brushstrokes. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which is natural, biocompatible, and eco-friendly, can be applied as a paint that shows entropy-driven buckling instability of the liquid crystal phase. Brushed and wholly dried DNA exhibits line-shaped zig-zag textures with inherent randomness as a source of the PUF, and its primary performance and reliability are systematically examined. This breakthrough enables the utilization of these drawings in a wider range of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soon Mo Park
- Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Geonhyeong Park
- Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Ki Yoon
- Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- KAIST Institute for NanoCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
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14
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Tao H, Rigoni C, Li H, Koistinen A, Timonen JVI, Zhou J, Kontturi E, Rojas OJ, Chu G. Thermodynamically controlled multiphase separation of heterogeneous liquid crystal colloids. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5277. [PMID: 37644027 PMCID: PMC10465492 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41054-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Phase separation is a universal physical transition process whereby a homogeneous mixture splits into two distinct compartments that are driven by the component activity, elasticity, or compositions. In the current work, we develop a series of heterogeneous colloidal suspensions that exhibit both liquid-liquid phase separation of semiflexible binary polymers and liquid crystal phase separation of rigid, rod-like nanocellulose particles. The phase behavior of the multicomponent mixture is controlled by the trade-off between thermodynamics and kinetics during the two transition processes, displaying cholesteric self-assembly of nanocellulose within or across the compartmented aqueous phases. Upon thermodynamic control, two-, three-, and four-phase coexistence behaviors with rich liquid crystal stackings are realized. Among which, each relevant multiphase separation kinetics shows fundamentally different paths governed by nucleation and growth of polymer droplets and nanocellulose tactoids. Furthermore, a coupled multiphase transition can be realized by tuning the composition and the equilibrium temperature, which results in thermotropic behavior of polymers within a lyotropic liquid crystal matrix. Finally, upon drying, the multicomponent mixture undergoes a hierarchical self-assembly of nanocellulose and polymers into stratified cholesteric films, exhibiting compartmentalized polymer distribution and anisotropic microporous structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Tao
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering, Vuorimiehentie 1, 02510, Espoo, Finland
| | - Carlo Rigoni
- Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University School of Science, Puumiehenkuja 2, 02150, Espoo, Finland
| | - Hailong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China
| | - Antti Koistinen
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering, Vuorimiehentie 1, 02510, Espoo, Finland
| | - Jaakko V I Timonen
- Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University School of Science, Puumiehenkuja 2, 02150, Espoo, Finland
| | - Jiancheng Zhou
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China
| | - Eero Kontturi
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering, Vuorimiehentie 1, 02510, Espoo, Finland.
| | - Orlando J Rojas
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering, Vuorimiehentie 1, 02510, Espoo, Finland.
- Bioproducts Institute, Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Department of Chemistry and Department of Wood Science, The University of British Columbia, 2360 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
| | - Guang Chu
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering, Vuorimiehentie 1, 02510, Espoo, Finland.
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
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15
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Caimi F, Zanchetta G. Twisted Structures in Natural and Bioinspired Molecules: Self-Assembly and Propagation of Chirality Across Multiple Length Scales. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:17350-17361. [PMID: 37251126 PMCID: PMC10210192 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c01822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Several biomolecules can form dynamic aggregates in water, whose nanometric structures often reflect the chirality of the monomers in unexpected ways. Their twisted organization can be further propagated to the mesoscale, in chiral liquid crystalline phases, and even to the macroscale, where chiral, layered architectures contribute to the chromatic and mechanical properties of various plant, insect, and animal tissues. At all scales, the resulting organization is determined by a subtle balance among chiral and nonchiral interactions, whose understanding and fine-tuning is fundamental also for applications. We present recent advances in the chiral self-assembly and mesoscale ordering of biological and bioinspired molecules in water, focusing on systems based on nucleic acids or related aromatic molecules, oligopeptides, and their hybrid stuctures. We highlight the common features and key mechanisms governing this wide range of phenomena, together with novel characterization approaches.
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16
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Fraccia TP, Martin N. Non-enzymatic oligonucleotide ligation in coacervate protocells sustains compartment-content coupling. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2606. [PMID: 37160869 PMCID: PMC10169843 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38163-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Modern cells are complex chemical compartments tightly regulated by an underlying DNA-encoded program. Achieving a form of coupling between molecular content, chemical reactions, and chassis in synthetic compartments represents a key step to the assembly of evolvable protocells but remains challenging. Here, we design coacervate droplets that promote non-enzymatic oligonucleotide polymerization and that restructure as a result of the reaction dynamics. More specifically, we rationally exploit complexation between end-reactive oligonucleotides able to stack into long physical polymers and a cationic azobenzene photoswitch to produce three different phases-soft solids, liquid crystalline or isotropic coacervates droplets-each of them having a different impact on the reaction efficiency. Dynamical modulation of coacervate assembly and dissolution via trans-cis azobenzene photo-isomerization is used to demonstrate cycles of light-actuated oligonucleotide ligation. Remarkably, changes in the population of polynucleotides during polymerization induce phase transitions due to length-based DNA self-sorting to produce multiphase coacervates. Overall, by combining a tight reaction-structure coupling and environmental responsiveness, our reactive coacervates provide a general route to the non-enzymatic synthesis of polynucleotides and pave the way to the emergence of a primitive compartment-content coupling in membrane-free protocells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso P Fraccia
- Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Chimie Biologie et Innovation, UMR 8231, ESPCI Paris, PSL University, CNRS, 6 rue Jean Calvin, 75005, Paris, France.
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milano, 20133, Milano, Italy.
| | - Nicolas Martin
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, UMR 5031, 115 avenue du Dr. Schweitzer, 33600, Pessac, France.
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17
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Kodikara S, Gyawali P, Gleeson JT, Jakli A, Sprunt S, Balci H. Stability of End-to-End Base Stacking Interactions in Highly Concentrated DNA Solutions. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:4838-4846. [PMID: 36952670 PMCID: PMC10078606 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c00318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Positionally ordered bilayer liquid crystalline nanostructures formed by gapped DNA (GDNA) constructs provide a practical window into DNA-DNA interactions at physiologically relevant DNA concentrations; concentrations several orders of magnitude greater than those in commonly used biophysical assays. The bilayer structure of these states of matter is stabilized by end-to-end base stacking interactions; moreover, such interactions also promote in-plane positional ordering of duplexes that are separated from each other by less than twice the duplex diameter. The end-to-end stacked as well as in-plane ordered duplexes exhibit distinct signatures when studied via small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). This enables analysis of the thermal stability of both the end-to-end and side-by-side interactions. We performed synchrotron SAXS experiments over a temperature range of 5-65 °C on GDNA constructs that differ only by the terminal base-pairs at the blunt duplex ends, resulting in identical side-by-side interactions, while end-to-end base stacking interactions are varied. Our key finding is that bilayers formed by constructs with GC termination transition into the monolayer state at temperatures as much as 30 °C higher than for those with AT termination, while mixed (AT/GC) terminations have intermediate stability. By modeling the bilayer melting in terms of a temperature-dependent reduction in the average fraction of end-to-end paired duplexes, we estimate the stacking free energies in DNA solutions of physiologically relevant concentrations. The free-energies thereby determined are generally smaller than those reported in single-molecule studies, which might reflect the elevated DNA concentrations in our studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sineth
G. Kodikara
- Department
of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
| | - Prabesh Gyawali
- Department
of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
| | - James T. Gleeson
- Department
of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
| | - Antal Jakli
- Department
of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
- Advanced
Materials and Liquid Crystals Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
| | - Samuel Sprunt
- Department
of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
- Advanced
Materials and Liquid Crystals Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
| | - Hamza Balci
- Department
of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
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18
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Etale A, Onyianta AJ, Turner SR, Eichhorn SJ. Cellulose: A Review of Water Interactions, Applications in Composites, and Water Treatment. Chem Rev 2023; 123:2016-2048. [PMID: 36622272 PMCID: PMC9999429 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 81.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Cellulose is known to interact well with water, but is insoluble in it. Many polysaccharides such as cellulose are known to have significant hydrogen bond networks joining the molecular chains, and yet they are recalcitrant to aqueous solvents. This review charts the interaction of cellulose with water but with emphasis on the formation of both natural and synthetic fiber composites. Covering studies concerning the interaction of water with wood, the biosynthesis of cellulose in the cell wall, to its dispersion in aqueous suspensions and ultimately in water filtration and fiber-based composite materials this review explores water-cellulose interactions and how they can be exploited for synthetic and natural composites. The suggestion that cellulose is amphiphilic is critically reviewed, with relevance to its processing. Building on this, progress made in using various charged and modified forms of nanocellulose to stabilize oil-water emulsions is addressed. The role of water in the aqueous formation of chiral nematic liquid crystals, and subsequently when dried into composite films is covered. The review will also address the use of cellulose as an aid to water filtration as one area where interactions can be used effectively to prosper human life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Etale
- Bristol Composites Institute, School of Civil, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol, University Walk, BristolBS8 1TR, United Kingdom
| | - Amaka J Onyianta
- Bristol Composites Institute, School of Civil, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol, University Walk, BristolBS8 1TR, United Kingdom
| | - Simon R Turner
- School of Biological Science, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, ManchesterM13 9PT, U.K
| | - Stephen J Eichhorn
- Bristol Composites Institute, School of Civil, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol, University Walk, BristolBS8 1TR, United Kingdom
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19
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Udono H, Gong J, Sato Y, Takinoue M. DNA Droplets: Intelligent, Dynamic Fluid. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2023; 7:e2200180. [PMID: 36470673 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202200180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Breathtaking advances in DNA nanotechnology have established DNA as a promising biomaterial for the fabrication of programmable higher-order nano/microstructures. In the context of developing artificial cells and tissues, DNA droplets have emerged as a powerful platform for creating intelligent, dynamic cell-like machinery. DNA droplets are a microscale membrane-free coacervate of DNA formed through phase separation. This new type of DNA system couples dynamic fluid-like property with long-established DNA programmability. This hybrid nature offers an advantageous route to facile and robust control over the structures, functions, and behaviors of DNA droplets. This review begins by describing programmable DNA condensation, commenting on the physical properties and fabrication strategies of DNA hydrogels and droplets. By presenting an overview of the development pathways leading to DNA droplets, it is shown that DNA technology has evolved from static, rigid systems to soft, dynamic systems. Next, the basic characteristics of DNA droplets are described as intelligent, dynamic fluid by showcasing the latest examples highlighting their distinctive features related to sequence-specific interactions and programmable mechanical properties. Finally, this review discusses the potential and challenges of numerical modeling able to connect a robust link between individual sequences and macroscopic mechanical properties of DNA droplets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirotake Udono
- Department of Computer Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8502, Japan
| | - Jing Gong
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8502, Japan
| | - Yusuke Sato
- Department of Intelligent and Control Systems, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 680-4 Kawazu, Iizuka, Fukuoka, 820-8502, Japan
| | - Masahiro Takinoue
- Department of Computer Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8502, Japan
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8502, Japan
- Living Systems Materialogy (LiSM) Research Group, International Research Frontiers Initiative (IRFI), Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8502, Japan
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20
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Muniz MI, Bustos AH, Slott S, Astakhova K, Weber G. Cation valence dependence of hydrogen bond and stacking potentials in DNA mesoscopic models. Biophys Chem 2023; 294:106949. [PMID: 36706510 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2022.106949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Monovalent and divalent cations play a crucial role in living cells and for molecular techniques such as PCR. Here we evaluate DNA melting temperatures in magnesium (Mg2+) and magnesium‑potassium (Mg2++ K+) buffers with a mesoscopic model that allows us to estimate hydrogen bonds and stacking interaction potentials. The Mg2+ and Mg2++ K+ results are compared to previous calculations for sodium ions (Na+), in terms of equivalent sodium concentration and ionic strength. Morse potentials, related to hydrogen bonding, were found to be essentially constant and unaffected by cation conditions. However, for stacking interactions we find a clear dependence with ionic strength and cation valence. The highest ionic strength variations, for both hydrogen bonds and stacking interactions, was found at the sequence terminals. This suggests that end-to-end interactions in DNA will be strongly dependent on cation valence and ionic strength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Izabel Muniz
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Adrian H Bustos
- Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, 206-207 Kemitorvet, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Sofie Slott
- Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, 206-207 Kemitorvet, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Kira Astakhova
- Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, 206-207 Kemitorvet, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Gerald Weber
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
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21
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Abraham Punnoose J, Thomas KJ, Chandrasekaran AR, Vilcapoma J, Hayden A, Kilpatrick K, Vangaveti S, Chen A, Banco T, Halvorsen K. High-throughput single-molecule quantification of individual base stacking energies in nucleic acids. Nat Commun 2023; 14:631. [PMID: 36746949 PMCID: PMC9902561 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36373-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Base stacking interactions between adjacent bases in DNA and RNA are important for many biological processes and in biotechnology applications. Previous work has estimated stacking energies between pairs of bases, but contributions of individual bases has remained unknown. Here, we use a Centrifuge Force Microscope for high-throughput single molecule experiments to measure stacking energies between adjacent bases. We found stacking energies strongest between purines (G|A at -2.3 ± 0.2 kcal/mol) and weakest between pyrimidines (C|T at -0.5 ± 0.1 kcal/mol). Hybrid stacking with phosphorylated, methylated, and RNA nucleotides had no measurable effect, but a fluorophore modification reduced stacking energy. We experimentally show that base stacking can influence stability of a DNA nanostructure, modulate kinetics of enzymatic ligation, and assess accuracy of force fields in molecular dynamics simulations. Our results provide insights into fundamental DNA interactions that are critical in biology and can inform design in biotechnology applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jibin Abraham Punnoose
- The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
| | - Kevin J Thomas
- The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
| | | | - Javier Vilcapoma
- The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
| | - Andrew Hayden
- The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
| | - Kacey Kilpatrick
- The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA.,Department of Chemistry, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
| | - Sweta Vangaveti
- The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
| | - Alan Chen
- The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA.,Department of Chemistry, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
| | - Thomas Banco
- The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
| | - Ken Halvorsen
- The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA.
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22
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Mondal M, Gao YQ. Sequence‐dependent clustering properties of nucleotides fragments in an ionic solution. J CHIN CHEM SOC-TAIP 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/jccs.202200425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Manas Mondal
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology Shenzhen Bay Laboratory Shenzhen China
| | - Yi Qin Gao
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology Shenzhen Bay Laboratory Shenzhen China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Peking University Beijing China
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center Peking University Beijing China
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics Peking University Beijing China
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23
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Gonçalves DPN, Ogolla T, Hegmann T. Chirality Transfer from an Innately Chiral Nanocrystal Core to a Nematic Liquid Crystal 2: Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystals. Chemphyschem 2023; 24:e202200685. [PMID: 36197761 PMCID: PMC10092345 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202200685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The importance of and the difference between molecular versus structural core chirality of substances that form nanomaterials, and their ability to transmit and amplify their chirality to and within a surrounding condensed medium is yet to be exactly understood. Here we demonstrate that neat as well as disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) surface-modified cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with both molecular and morphological core chirality can induce homochirality in racemic nematic lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal (rac-N-LCLC) tactoids. In comparison to the parent chiral organic building blocks, D-glucose, endowed only with molecular chirality, both CNCs showed a superior chirality transfer ability. Here, particularly the structurally compatible DSCG-modified CNCs prove to be highly effective since the surface DSCG moieties can insert into the DSCG stacks that constitute the racemic tactoids. Overall, this presents a highly efficient pathway for chiral induction in an aqueous medium and thus for understanding the origins of biological homochirality in a suitable experimental system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana P N Gonçalves
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute and, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242-0001, USA
| | - Timothy Ogolla
- Materials Science Graduate Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242-0001, USA
| | - Torsten Hegmann
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute and, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242-0001, USA.,Materials Science Graduate Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242-0001, USA
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24
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Kim WS, Im JH, Kim H, Choi JK, Choi Y, Kim YK. Liquid Crystalline Systems from Nature and Interaction of Living Organisms with Liquid Crystals. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2204275. [PMID: 35861641 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202204275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Biomaterials, which are substances interacting with biological systems, have been extensively explored to understand living organisms and obtain scientific inspiration (such as biomimetics). However, many aspects of biomaterials have yet to be fully understood. Because liquid crystalline phases are ubiquitously found in biomaterials (e.g., cholesterol, amphiphile, DNA, cellulose, bacteria), therefore, a wide range of research has made attempts to approach unresolved issues with the concept of liquid crystals (LCs). This review presents these studies that address the interactive correlation between biomaterials and LCs. Specifically, intrinsic LC behavior of various biomaterials such as DNA, cellulose nanocrystals, and bacteriaare first introduced. Second, the dynamics of bacteria in LC media are addressed, with focus on how bacteria interact with LCs, and how dynamics of bacteria can be controlled by exploiting the characteristics of LCs. Lastly, how the strong correlation between LCs and biomaterials has been leveraged to design a new class of biosensors with additional functionalities (e.g., self-regulated drug release) that are not available in previous systems is reviewed. Examples addressed in this review convey the message that the intersection between biomaterials and LCs offers deep insights into fundamental understanding of biomaterials, and provides resources for development of transformative technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Won-Sik Kim
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun-Hyung Im
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyein Kim
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Kang Choi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Yena Choi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Ki Kim
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
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25
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A liquid crystal world for the origins of life. Emerg Top Life Sci 2022; 6:557-569. [PMID: 36373852 DOI: 10.1042/etls20220081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Nucleic acids (NAs) in modern biology accomplish a variety of tasks, and the emergence of primitive nucleic acids is broadly recognized as a crucial step for the emergence of life. While modern NAs have been optimized by evolution to accomplish various biological functions, such as catalysis or transmission of genetic information, primitive NAs could have emerged and been selected based on more rudimental chemical-physical properties, such as their propensity to self-assemble into supramolecular structures. One such supramolecular structure available to primitive NAs are liquid crystal (LC) phases, which are the outcome of the collective behavior of short DNA or RNA oligomers or monomers that self-assemble into linear aggregates by combinations of pairing and stacking. Formation of NA LCs could have provided many essential advantages for a primitive evolving system, including the selection of potential genetic polymers based on structure, protection by compartmentalization, elongation, and recombination by enhanced abiotic ligation. Here, we review recent studies on NA LC assembly, structure, and functions with potential prebiotic relevance. Finally, we discuss environmental or geological conditions on early Earth that could have promoted (or inhibited) primitive NA LC formation and highlight future investigation axes essential to further understanding of how LCs could have contributed to the emergence of life.
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26
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Farzan M, Ross A, Müller C, Allmendinger A. Liquid crystal phase formation and non-Newtonian behavior of oligonucleotide formulations. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2022; 181:270-281. [PMID: 36435312 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2022.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Viscosity behavior of liquid oligonucleotide therapeutics and its dependence on formulation properties has been poorly studied to date. We observed a high increase in viscosity and solidification of therapeutic oligonucleotide formulations with increasing oligonucleotide concentration creating challenges during drug product manufacturing. In this study, we characterized the viscosity behavior of three different single strand DNA oligonucleotides based on oligonucleotide concentration and formulation composition. We subsequently studied the underlying mechanism for increased viscosity at higher oligonucleotide concentrations by dynamic light scattering (DLS), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and polarized light microscopy. Viscosity was highly dependent on formulation composition, oligonucleotide sequence, and concentration, and especially dependent on the presence and combination of different individual ions, such as the presence of sodium chloride in the formulation. In samples with elevated viscosity, the viscosity behavior was characterized by non-Newtonian, shear-thinning flow behavior. We further studied these samples by DLS and 1H NMR, which revealed the presence of supra-molecular assemblies, and further characterization by polarized light and DSC characterized these assemblies as liquid crystals in the formulation. The present study links the macroscopic viscosity behavior of oligonucleotide formulations to the formation of supra-molecular assemblies and to the presence of liquid crystals, and highlights the importance of formulation composition selection for these therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Farzan
- Pharmaceutical Development & Supplies, Pharmaceutical Technical Development Biologics Europe, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Grenzacherstr. 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Alfred Ross
- Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Grenzacherstr. 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Müller
- Pharmaceutical Development & Supplies, Pharmaceutical Technical Development Biologics Europe, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Grenzacherstr. 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Allmendinger
- Pharmaceutical Development & Supplies, Pharmaceutical Technical Development Biologics Europe, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Grenzacherstr. 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland; Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, University of Freiburg, Sonnenstr. 5, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
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27
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Ma LL, Li CY, Pan JT, Ji YE, Jiang C, Zheng R, Wang ZY, Wang Y, Li BX, Lu YQ. Self-assembled liquid crystal architectures for soft matter photonics. LIGHT, SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS 2022; 11:270. [PMID: 36100592 PMCID: PMC9470592 DOI: 10.1038/s41377-022-00930-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Self-assembled architectures of soft matter have fascinated scientists for centuries due to their unique physical properties originated from controllable orientational and/or positional orders, and diverse optic and photonic applications. If one could know how to design, fabricate, and manipulate these optical microstructures in soft matter systems, such as liquid crystals (LCs), that would open new opportunities in both scientific research and practical applications, such as the interaction between light and soft matter, the intrinsic assembly of the topological patterns, and the multidimensional control of the light (polarization, phase, spatial distribution, propagation direction). Here, we summarize recent progresses in self-assembled optical architectures in typical thermotropic LCs and bio-based lyotropic LCs. After briefly introducing the basic definitions and properties of the materials, we present the manipulation schemes of various LC microstructures, especially the topological and topographic configurations. This work further illustrates external-stimuli-enabled dynamic controllability of self-assembled optical structures of these soft materials, and demonstrates several emerging applications. Lastly, we discuss the challenges and opportunities of these materials towards soft matter photonics, and envision future perspectives in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Ling Ma
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Chao-Yi Li
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Jin-Tao Pan
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yue-E Ji
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Chang Jiang
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Ren Zheng
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Ze-Yu Wang
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yu Wang
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Bing-Xiang Li
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
- College of Electronic and Optical Engineering & College of Flexible Electronics (Future Technology), Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Yan-Qing Lu
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
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28
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Fontana F, Bellini T, Todisco M. Liquid Crystal Ordering in DNA Double Helices with Backbone Discontinuities. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Fontana
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università di Milano, via Vanvitelli 32, 20129 Milano, Italy
| | - Tommaso Bellini
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università di Milano, via Vanvitelli 32, 20129 Milano, Italy
| | - Marco Todisco
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università di Milano, via Vanvitelli 32, 20129 Milano, Italy
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29
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Romero-Sanchez IC, Castellano LE, Laurati M. Tuning the Effective Interactions between Spherical Double-Stranded DNA Brushes. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ivany C. Romero-Sanchez
- División de Ciencias e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guanajuato, 47150 León, Mexico
- Dipartimento di Chimica & CSGI, Università di Firenze, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Laura E. Castellano
- División de Ciencias e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guanajuato, 47150 León, Mexico
| | - Marco Laurati
- Dipartimento di Chimica & CSGI, Università di Firenze, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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30
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Bukharina D, Kim M, Han MJ, Tsukruk VV. Cellulose Nanocrystals' Assembly under Ionic Strength Variation: From High Orientation Ordering to a Random Orientation. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:6363-6375. [PMID: 35559606 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We discuss the effect of the ionic strength and effective charge density on the final structural organization of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) after drying suspensions with different ionic strengths in terms of quantitative characteristics of the orientation order, rarely considered to date. We observed that increasing the ionic strength in the initial suspension results in continuous shrinking of the helical pitch length that shifts the photonic band gap to a far UV region from the visible range (from 400 to 250 nm) because of the increase in the helical twisting power from 4 to 6 μm-1 and doubling of the twisting angle between neighboring monolayers from 5.5 to 9°. As our estimation of the Coulombic interactions demonstrates, the reduction of the Debye charge screening length below a critical value of 3 nm results in the loss of the long-range helicoidal order and the transition to a disordered morphology with random packing of nanocrystals. Subsequently, very high orientation ordering with the 2D orientation factor, S, within the range 0.8-0.9, close to the theoretical limit of 1, gradually decreased to a very low value of S = 0.1-0.2, a characteristic of random organization at high ionic strength. We suggest that the loss of the chiral ordering is a result of the reduction of repulsive forces, promoting direct physical contact with the reduced contact area during Brownian motion, combined with increased repulsive Coulombic interactions of nanocrystals at nonparallel local packing. Notably, electrolyte addition enhances chiral interactions to the point where the helical twisting power is too large and the resulting nanocrystal bundles can no longer compactly pack without creating unfavorably large free volume. We propose that the Debye charge screening length in suspensions can be used as a universal parameter for CNCs under different conditions and can be used to assess expected ordering characteristics in the solid films.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria Bukharina
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Minkyu Kim
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Moon Jong Han
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Vladimir V Tsukruk
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
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31
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Yu Z, Bisoyi HK, Chen XM, Nie ZZ, Wang M, Yang H, Li Q. An Artificial Light-Harvesting System with Controllable Efficiency Enabled by an Annulene-Based Anisotropic Fluid. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202200466. [PMID: 35100478 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202200466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The development of controllable artificial light-harvesting systems based on liquid crystal (LC) materials, i.e., anisotropic fluids, remains a challenge. Herein, an annulene-based discotic LC compound 6 with a saddle-shaped cyclooctatetrathiophene core has been synthesized to construct a tunable light-harvesting platform. The LC material shows a typical aggregation-induced emission, which can act as a suitable light-harvesting donor. By loading Nile red (NiR) as an acceptor, an artificial light-harvesting system is achieved. Relying on the thermal-responsive self-assembling ability of 6 with variable molecular order, the efficiency of such 6-NiR system can be controlled by temperature. This light-harvesting system works sensitively at a high donor/acceptor ratio as 1000 : 1, and exhibits a high antenna effect (39.1) at a 100 : 1 donor/acceptor ratio. This thermochromic artificial light-harvesting LC system could find potential applications in smart devices employing soft materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Yu
- Institute of Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China
| | - Hari Krishna Bisoyi
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Xu-Man Chen
- Institute of Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China
| | - Zhen-Zhou Nie
- Institute of Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China
| | - Meng Wang
- Institute of Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China
| | - Hong Yang
- Institute of Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China
| | - Quan Li
- Institute of Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.,Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
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32
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Pairing statistics and melting of random DNA oligomers: Finding your partner in superdiverse environments. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010051. [PMID: 35404933 PMCID: PMC9022813 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding of the pairing statistics in solutions populated by a large number of distinct solute species with mutual interactions is a challenging topic, relevant in modeling the complexity of real biological systems. Here we describe, both experimentally and theoretically, the formation of duplexes in a solution of random-sequence DNA (rsDNA) oligomers of length L = 8, 12, 20 nucleotides. rsDNA solutions are formed by 4L distinct molecular species, leading to a variety of pairing motifs that depend on sequence complementarity and range from strongly bound, fully paired defectless helices to weakly interacting mismatched duplexes. Experiments and theory coherently combine revealing a hybridization statistics characterized by a prevalence of partially defected duplexes, with a distribution of type and number of pairing errors that depends on temperature. We find that despite the enormous multitude of inter-strand interactions, defectless duplexes are formed, involving a fraction up to 15% of the rsDNA chains at the lowest temperatures. Experiments and theory are limited here to equilibrium conditions. Several biological processes require that specific partner molecules succeed in binding after negotiating their way through a huge number of interactions with other molecules. How such molecular recognition emerges among millions distinct molecular species is an open problem. We have studied, both experimentally and theoretically, such process of “molecular recognition” in pools of highly diverse random DNA oligomers, which binds preferentially, but not exclusively, to its perfect complementary sequence. We find a complex behavior, in which some perfect pairing takes place with a non-trivial temperature dependence that we understand thorough statistical mechanics modelling. The pairing pattern of short random DNA is relevant in the context of the origin of life since the so-called “RNA World” was most probably based on the mutual recognition of random chains.
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33
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Taketomi Y, Yamaguchi Y, Sakurai S, Tanaka M. Evaluation of DNA-mediated electron transfer using a hole-trapping nucleobase under crowded conditions. Org Biomol Chem 2022; 20:2043-2047. [PMID: 35005766 DOI: 10.1039/d1ob01669e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The effects of a crowded environment on DNA-mediated electron transfer were evaluated using a pyrene-modified oligonucleotide containing a hole-trapping nucleobase in poly(ethylene glycol) mixed solutions. Rapid decompositions of hole-trapping bases in condensed and noncondensed DNA showed that more efficient electron transfer occurred under crowded conditions than in dilute solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuuki Taketomi
- Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan.
| | - Yuuki Yamaguchi
- Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan.
| | - Shunsuke Sakurai
- Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan.
| | - Makiko Tanaka
- Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan.
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34
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Romero-Sanchez I, Pihlajamaa I, Adžić N, Castellano LE, Stiakakis E, Likos CN, Laurati M. Blunt-End Driven Re-entrant Ordering in Quasi Two-Dimensional Dispersions of Spherical DNA Brushes. ACS NANO 2022; 16:2133-2146. [PMID: 35130432 PMCID: PMC8867906 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c07799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the effects of crowding on the conformations and assembly of confined, highly charged, and thick polyelectrolyte brushes in the osmotic regime. Particle tracking experiments on increasingly dense suspensions of colloids coated with ultralong double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) fragments reveal nonmonotonic particle shrinking, aggregation, and re-entrant ordering. Theory and simulations show that aggregation and re-entrant ordering arise from the combined effect of shrinking, which is induced by the osmotic pressure exerted by the counterions absorbed in neighbor brushes and of a short-range attractive interaction competing with electrostatic repulsion. An unconventional mechanism gives origin to the short-range attraction: blunt-end interactions between stretched dsDNA fragments of neighboring brushes, which become sufficiently intense for dense and packed brushes. The attraction can be tuned by inducing free-end backfolding through the addition of monovalent salt. Our results show that base stacking is a mode parallel to hybridization to steer colloidal assembly in which attractions can be fine-tuned through salinity and, potentially, grafting density and temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivany Romero-Sanchez
- Dipartimento
di Chimica & CSGI, Università
di Firenze, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- División
de Ciencias e Ingenierías, Universidad
de Guanajuato, 37150 León, Mexico
| | - Ilian Pihlajamaa
- Faculty
of Physics, University of Vienna, Bolzmanngasse 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
- Eindhoven
University of Technology, Department of
Applied Physics, Soft Matter and Biological Physics, Postbus 513, NL-5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Natasa Adžić
- Faculty
of Physics, University of Vienna, Bolzmanngasse 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Laura E. Castellano
- División
de Ciencias e Ingenierías, Universidad
de Guanajuato, 37150 León, Mexico
| | - Emmanuel Stiakakis
- Biomacromolecular
Systems and Processes, Institute of Biological Information Processing
(IBI-4), 4 Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Christos N. Likos
- Faculty
of Physics, University of Vienna, Bolzmanngasse 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Marco Laurati
- Dipartimento
di Chimica & CSGI, Università
di Firenze, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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35
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Yu Z, Bisoyi HK, Chen X, Nie Z, Wang M, Yang H, Li Q. An Artificial Light‐Harvesting System with Controllable Efficiency Enabled by an Annulene‐Based Anisotropic Fluid. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202200466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Yu
- Institute of Advanced Materials School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research Southeast University Nanjing 211189 China
| | - Hari Krishna Bisoyi
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program Kent State University Kent OH 44242 USA
| | - Xu‐Man Chen
- Institute of Advanced Materials School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research Southeast University Nanjing 211189 China
| | - Zhen‐Zhou Nie
- Institute of Advanced Materials School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research Southeast University Nanjing 211189 China
| | - Meng Wang
- Institute of Advanced Materials School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research Southeast University Nanjing 211189 China
| | - Hong Yang
- Institute of Advanced Materials School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research Southeast University Nanjing 211189 China
| | - Quan Li
- Institute of Advanced Materials School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research Southeast University Nanjing 211189 China
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program Kent State University Kent OH 44242 USA
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36
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Gvozden K, Novak Ratajczak S, Orellana AG, Kentzinger E, Rücker U, Dhont JKG, De Michele C, Stiakakis E. Self-Assembly of All-DNA Rods with Controlled Patchiness. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2022; 18:e2104510. [PMID: 34837474 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202104510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) fragments exhibit noncovalent attractive interactions between their tips. It is still unclear how DNA liquid crystal self-assembly is affected by such blunt-end attractions. It is demonstrated that stiff dsDNA fragments with moderate aspect ratio can specifically self-assemble in concentrated aqueous solutions into different types of smectic mesophases on the basis of selectively screening of blunt-end DNA stacking interactions. To this end, this type of attractions are engineered at the molecular level by constructing DNA duplexes where the attractions between one or both ends are screened by short hairpin caps. All-DNA bilayer and monolayer smectic-A type of phases, as well as a columnar phase, can be stabilized by controlling attractions strength. The results imply that the so far elusive smectic-A in DNA rod-like liquid crystals is a thermodynamically stable phase. The existence of the bilayer smectic phase is confirmed by Monte-Carlo simulations of hard cylinders decorated with one attractive terminal site. This work demonstrates that DNA blunt-ends behave as well-defined monovalent attractive patches whose strength and position can be potentially precisely tuned, highlighting unique opportunities concerning the stabilization of nonconventional DNA-based lyotropic liquid crystal phases assembled by all-DNA patchy particles with arbitrary geometry and composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarina Gvozden
- Biomacromolecular Systems and Processes, Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Sanja Novak Ratajczak
- Biomacromolecular Systems and Processes, Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Alberto G Orellana
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Universita di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, Roma, 00185, Italy
| | - Emmanuel Kentzinger
- Jülich Centre for Neutron Science JCNS and Peter Grünberg Institut PGI, JARA-FIT, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Ulrich Rücker
- Jülich Centre for Neutron Science JCNS and Peter Grünberg Institut PGI, JARA-FIT, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Jan K G Dhont
- Biomacromolecular Systems and Processes, Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Cristiano De Michele
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Universita di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, Roma, 00185, Italy
| | - Emmanuel Stiakakis
- Biomacromolecular Systems and Processes, Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425, Jülich, Germany
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37
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Grupa U, Liebl K, Zacharias M. Orientation Dependence of DNA Blunt-End Stacking Studied by Free-Energy Simulations. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:13850-13857. [PMID: 34928161 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c07829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
DNA blunt ends can associate mediated by stacking interactions between the terminal base pairs that form blunt ends. The blunt end association plays a role in DNA repair and recombination processes and can also be of importance for the design of DNA-based nano-materials. Its function depends on the sequence and on the geometric arrangement that leads to stable interaction. For a stacked state, the relative orientation (twisting) of the base pairs is important. Molecular dynamics and advanced sampling simulations were used to calculate free energy change associated with twist changes of the stacked blunt-end base pairs. The calculations reproduce blunt stacking arrangements found in crystal structures of DNA oligonucleotides as free energy minima. To elucidate the physical origin of the stabilization of certain angular arrangements, the interactions between backbone atoms in the blunt-end stack were switched off in additional free energy calculations. It allows us to decipher the contributions to stacking stabilization due to the nucleobases and the backbone and to analyze the sequence dependence of the angular stacking preferences. Good qualitative agreement was also found for the comparison with quantum mechanical calculations. The results may help in the design of novel DNA-based materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Grupa
- Center of Functional Protein Assemblies and Physics Department, Technical University of Munich, Ernst-Otto-Fischer-Str. 8, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Korbinian Liebl
- Center of Functional Protein Assemblies and Physics Department, Technical University of Munich, Ernst-Otto-Fischer-Str. 8, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Martin Zacharias
- Center of Functional Protein Assemblies and Physics Department, Technical University of Munich, Ernst-Otto-Fischer-Str. 8, 85748 Garching, Germany
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38
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Lázaro MT, Aliabadi R, Wensink HH. Second-virial theory for shape-persistent living polymers templated by disks. Phys Rev E 2021; 104:054505. [PMID: 34942807 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.104.054505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Living polymers composed of noncovalently bonded building blocks with weak backbone flexibility may self-assemble into thermoresponsive lyotropic liquid crystals. We demonstrate that the reversible polymer assembly and phase behavior can be controlled by the addition of (nonadsorbing) rigid colloidal disks which act as an entropic reorienting "template" onto the supramolecular polymers. Using a particle-based second-virial theory that correlates the various entropies associated with the polymers and disks, we demonstrate that small fractions of discotic additives promote the formation of a polymer nematic phase. At larger disk concentrations, however, the phase is disrupted by collective disk alignment in favor of a discotic nematic fluid in which the polymers are dispersed antinematically. We show that the antinematic arrangement of the polymers generates a nonexponential molecular-weight distribution and stimulates the formation of oligomeric species. At sufficient concentrations the disks facilitate a liquid-liquid phase separation which can be brought into simultaneously coexistence with the two fractionated nematic phases, providing evidence for a four-fluid coexistence in reversible shape-dissimilar hard-core mixtures without cohesive interparticle forces. We stipulate the conditions under which such a phenomenon could be found in experiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Torres Lázaro
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, UMR 8502, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - R Aliabadi
- Physics Department, Sirjan University of Technology, Sirjan 78137, Iran
| | - H H Wensink
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, UMR 8502, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405 Orsay, France
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Self assembling cluster crystals from DNA based dendritic nanostructures. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7167. [PMID: 34887410 PMCID: PMC8660878 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27412-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Cluster crystals are periodic structures with lattice sites occupied by several, overlapping building blocks, featuring fluctuating site occupancy, whose expectation value depends on thermodynamic conditions. Their assembly from atomic or mesoscopic units is long-sought-after, but its experimental realization still remains elusive. Here, we show the existence of well-controlled soft matter cluster crystals. We fabricate dendritic-linear-dendritic triblock composed of a thermosensitive water-soluble polymer and nanometer-scale all-DNA dendrons of the first and second generation. Conclusive small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) evidence reveals that solutions of these triblock at sufficiently high concentrations undergo a reversible phase transition from a cluster fluid to a body-centered cubic (BCC) cluster crystal with density-independent lattice spacing, through alteration of temperature. Moreover, a rich concentration-temperature phase diagram demonstrates the emergence of various ordered nanostructures, including BCC cluster crystals, birefringent cluster crystals, as well as hexagonal phases and cluster glass-like kinetically arrested states at high densities. Experimental realization of cluster crystals- periodic structures with lattice sites occupied by several, overlapping building blocks, has been elusive. Here, the authors show the existence of well-controlled soft matter cluster crystals composed of a thermosensitive water-soluble polymer and nanometer-scale all-DNA dendrons.
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Foffi R, Sciortino F, Tavares JM, Teixeira PIC. Building up DNA, bit by bit: a simple description of chain assembly. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:10736-10743. [PMID: 34787625 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm01130h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We simulate the assembly of DNA copolymers from two types of short duplexes (short double strands with a single-stranded overhang at each end), as described by the oxDNA model. We find that the statistics of chain lengths can be well reproduced by a simple theory that treats the association of particles into ideal (i.e., non-interacting) clusters as a reversible chemical reaction. The reaction constants can be predicted either from SantaLucia's theory or from Wertheim's thermodynamic perturbation theory of association for spherical patchy particles. Our results suggest that theories incorporating very limited molecular detail may be useful for predicting the broad equilibrium features of copolymerisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Foffi
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy.
| | - F Sciortino
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy.
| | - J M Tavares
- ISEL - Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Rua Conselheiro Emídio Navarro 1, 1959-007 Lisboa, Portugal.
- Centro de Física Teórica e Computacional, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, P-1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - P I C Teixeira
- ISEL - Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Rua Conselheiro Emídio Navarro 1, 1959-007 Lisboa, Portugal.
- Centro de Física Teórica e Computacional, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, P-1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
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Shen Y, Wang Y, Hamley IW, Qi W, Su R, He Z. Chiral self-assembly of peptides: Toward the design of supramolecular polymers with enhanced chemical and biological functions. Prog Polym Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2021.101469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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Yu JJ, Chen LF, Li GY, Li YR, Huang Y, Bake M, Tian Z. Rotational viscosity of nematic lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals. J Mol Liq 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2021.117756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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43
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Fraccia TP, Zanchetta G. Liquid–liquid crystalline phase separation in biomolecular solutions. Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cocis.2021.101500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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DNA-mediated molecular assembly of a triphenylene–surfactant complex monolayer. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2021.127569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Hidaka T, Wee WA, Yum JH, Sugiyama H, Park S. Photo-Controllable Phase Transition of Arylazopyrazole-Conjugated Oligonucleotides. Bioconjug Chem 2021; 32:2129-2133. [PMID: 34498851 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.1c00302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Phase transition is a promising aspect of DNA as biopolymers. Anionic DNA oligonucleotides easily form complexes with cationic polypeptides such as polylysine, and duplex formation significantly influences their complexation and resulting microcompartments. In this study, phase transition of microcompartments containing DNA and polylysine was systematically induced by modulating duplex formation of arylazopyrazole-conjugated oligonucleotides with light. We demonstrated that UV irradiation destabilized DNA duplex and generated isotropic coacervates, while duplex stabilization by visible light irradiation caused the formation of liquid crystalline coacervates. This photocontrol of phase transition was highly repeatable, and similar changes were observed even after ten cycles of light irradiation. Our approach would provide a robust control layer to the development of tailor-made microcompartments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuya Hidaka
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Wen Ann Wee
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Ji Hye Yum
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Sugiyama
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
- Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Science (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Soyoung Park
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
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Paparini S, Virga EG. Shape bistability in 2D chromonic droplets. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2021; 33:495101. [PMID: 34517353 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/ac2645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
An extensive experimental study of the shapes of two-dimensional bipolar droplets of the chromonic nematic phase of disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) sandwiched between glass plates, by Kimet alwas published in (2013J. Phys.: Condens. Matter25404202). The paper includes a mathematical model of this system. We have extended this study by further theoretical modelling. Our results are in good, quantitative agreement with the experimental data. The model has produced what promises to be a more accurate estimate for the isotropic surface tension at the nematic/isotropic solution interface-and predicts a regime of shape bistability (which has not yet been observed) for larger droplets, where tactoids (pointed, zeppelin-shaped droplets) and smooth-edged discoids can coexist in equilibrium. The general method presented in this paper is also applied to the tactoids formed by F-actin filaments in solution, for which an estimate is given for the value of the isotropic surface tension at the nematic/isotropic interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Paparini
- Dipartimento di Matematica, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 5, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Epifanio G Virga
- Dipartimento di Matematica, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 5, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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Coarse-grained simulations of phase separation driven by DNA and its sensor protein cGAS. Arch Biochem Biophys 2021; 710:109001. [PMID: 34352244 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2021.109001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The enzyme cGAS functions as a sensor that recognizes the cytosolic DNA from foreign pathogen. The activation of the protein triggers the transcription of inflammatory genes, leading into the establishment of an antipathogen state. An interesting new discovery is that the detection of DNA by cGAS induced the formation of liquid-like droplets. However how cells regulate the formation of these droplets is still not fully understood. In order to unravel the molecular mechanism beneath the DNA-mediated phase separation of cGAS, we developed a polymer-based coarse-grained model which takes into accounts the basic structural organization in DNA and cGAS, as well as the binding properties between these biomolecules. This model was further integrated into a hybrid simulation algorithm. With this computational method, a multi-step kinetic process of aggregation between cGAS and DNA was observed. Moreover, we systematically tested the model under different concentrations and binding parameters. Our simulation results show that phase separation requires both cGAS dimerization and protein-DNA interactions, whereas polymers can be kinetically trapped in small aggregates under strong binding affinities. Additionally, we demonstrated that supramolecular assembly can be facilitated by increasing the number of functional modules in protein or DNA polymers, suggesting that multivalency and intrinsic disordered regions play positive roles in regulating phase separation. This is consistent to previous experimental evidences. Taken together, this is, to the best of our knowledge, the first computational model to study condensation of cGAS-DNA complexes. While the method can reach the timescale beyond the capability of atomic-level MD simulations, it still includes information about spatial arrangement of functional modules in biopolymers that is missing in the mean-field theory. Our work thereby adds a useful dimension to a suite of existing experimental and computational techniques to study the dynamics of phase separation in biological systems.
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Colloidal and fumed particles in nematic liquid crystals: Self-assembly, confinement and implications on rheology. J Mol Liq 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2021.116241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Nakauchi H, Maeda M, Kanayama N. Terminal Sequence-Specific Interparticle Attraction between DNA Duplex-Carrying Polystyrene Microparticles in Aqueous Salt Solution Assessed by Optical Tweezers. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:5573-5581. [PMID: 33871256 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c00349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The dispersion behavior of DNA duplex-carrying colloidal particles in aqueous high-salt solutions shows extraordinary selectivity against the duplex terminal sequence. We investigated the interparticle force between DNA duplex-carrying polystyrene (dsDNA-PS) microparticles in aqueous salt solutions and examined their behavior in relation to the duplex terminal sequences. Force-distance (F-D) curves for a pair of dsDNA-PS particles were recorded with a dual-beam optical tweezers system with the two optically trapped particles closely approaching each other. Interestingly, only 3-5% of the oligo-DNA strands on the dsDNA-PS particles formed a duplex with complementary DNAs, and the F-D curves showed a distinct specificity to the duplex terminal sequences in the interparticle force at a high-NaCl concentration; a clear attraction peak was observed in F-D curves only when the duplex terminal was a complementary base pair. The attractive strength reached 2.6 ± 0.5 pN at 500 mM NaCl and 4.3 ± 1.0 pN at 750 mM NaCl. By sharp contrast, no significant attraction occurred for the particles with mismatched duplex terminals even at 750 mM NaCl. Similar duplex terminal-specificity in the interparticle force was also confirmed for dsDNA-PS particles in divalent MgCl2 solutions. Considering that the duplex terminal sequences on the dsDNA-PS particles showed only a negligible difference in their surface charges under identical salt conditions, we concluded that the interparticle attraction observed only for the dsDNA-PS particles with complementary duplex terminals is attributable to the salt-facilitated stacking interaction between the paired terminal nucleobases (i.e., blunt-end stacking) on the dsDNA-PS surfaces. Our results thus demonstrate the occurrence of a duplex terminal-specific interparticle force between dsDNA-PS particles under high-salt conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroya Nakauchi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Graduate School of Medicine, Science and Technology, Shinshu University, 4-17-1 Wakasato, Nagano-shi, Nagano 380-8553, Japan
| | - Mizuo Maeda
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Graduate School of Medicine, Science and Technology, Shinshu University, 4-17-1 Wakasato, Nagano-shi, Nagano 380-8553, Japan
- Bioengineering Laboratory, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Naoki Kanayama
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Graduate School of Medicine, Science and Technology, Shinshu University, 4-17-1 Wakasato, Nagano-shi, Nagano 380-8553, Japan
- Bioengineering Laboratory, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
- Institute of Biomedical Science, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research, Shinshu University, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan
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Synchrotron Microbeam Diffraction Studies on the Alignment within 3D-Printed Smectic-A Liquid Crystal Elastomer Filaments during Extrusion. CRYSTALS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/cryst11050523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
3D printing of novel and smart materials has received considerable attention due to its applications within biological and medical fields, mostly as they can be used to print complex architectures and particular designs. However, the internal structure during 3D printing can be problematic to resolve. We present here how time-resolved synchrotron microbeam Small-Angle X-ray Diffraction (μ-SAXD) allows us to elucidate the local orientational structure of a liquid crystal elastomer-based printed scaffold. Most reported 3D-printed liquid crystal elastomers are mainly nematic; here, we present a Smectic-A 3D-printed liquid crystal elastomer that has previously been reported to promote cell proliferation and alignment. The data obtained on the 3D-printed filaments will provide insights into the internal structure of the liquid crystal elastomer for the future fabrication of liquid crystal elastomers as responsive and anisotropic 3D cell scaffolds.
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