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Diffusion‐Ordered NMR Spectroscopy of Guest Molecules in DNA Hydrogels and Related Matrices
Author(s) -
Nöll Tanja,
WenderholdReeb Sabine,
Bourdeaux Florian,
Paululat Thomas,
Nöll Gilbert
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemistryselect
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 34
ISSN - 2365-6549
DOI - 10.1002/slct.201802364
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , molecule , dna , sticky and blunt ends , diffusion , chemistry , covalent bond , base pair , matrix (chemical analysis) , self assembly , materials science , biophysics , nanotechnology , crystallography , polymer chemistry , organic chemistry , biochemistry , physics , chromatography , biology , thermodynamics
Diffusion‐ordered NMR spectroscopy was used to monitor the diffusion of guest molecules in DNA hydrogels and related DNA matrices. As guest molecule the highly symmetric hollow‐spherical flavoprotein dodecin was studied. Thermoresponsive hydrogels were formed by self‐assembly via hybridization of linear double‐stranded DNA building blocks of 30 base pairs equipped with sticky ends, i. e. additional overhangs of 15 bases on both ends, which were complementary to each other. This resulted in hydrogels, in which dodecin was freely diffusing. When in contrast self‐assembly was performed with rather short building blocks (9 base pairs + sticky ends of 6 bases), the diffusion of the guest molecule was hampered, but as hybridization was reversible within the timescale of the experiment, the resulting DNA matrix did not behave as a true gel. Apparently true DNA hydrogels with small mesh size can be obtained only, when self‐assembly of short DNA building blocks via hybridization is combined with enzymatic ligation leading to a covalently linked network. In that case, the minimum achievable mesh size should be limited by the diameter of the ligase. While DNA hydrogels are an ideal matrix to host rather large molecules or even living cells, it is a challenge to design pristine DNA hydrogels with mesh sizes sufficiently small to capture guest molecules such as drugs or enzymes in the size of only a few nm.