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Cryopreservation of DNA Origami Nanostructures
Author(s) -
Xin Yang,
Kielar Charlotte,
Zhu Siqi,
Sikeler Christoph,
Xu Xiaodan,
Möser Christin,
Grundmeier Guido,
Liedl Tim,
HeuerJungemann Amelie,
Smith David M.,
Keller Adrian
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201905959
Subject(s) - dna origami , trehalose , nanostructure , nanotechnology , dna , materials science , cryopreservation , cryoprotectant , atomic force microscopy , dna nanotechnology , self assembly , biophysics , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , biochemistry , embryo
Although DNA origami nanostructures have found their way into numerous fields of fundamental and applied research, they often suffer from rather limited stability when subjected to environments that differ from the employed assembly conditions, that is, suspended in Mg 2+ ‐containing buffer at moderate temperatures. Here, means for efficient cryopreservation of 2D and 3D DNA origami nanostructures and, in particular, the effect of repeated freezing and thawing cycles are investigated. It is found that, while the 2D DNA origami nanostructures maintain their structural integrity over at least 32 freeze–thaw cycles, ice crystal formation makes the DNA origami gradually more sensitive toward harsh sample treatment conditions. Whereas no freeze damage could be detected in 3D DNA origami nanostructures subjected to 32 freeze–thaw cycles, 1000 freeze–thaw cycles result in significant fragmentation. The cryoprotectants glycerol and trehalose are found to efficiently protect the DNA origami nanostructures against freeze damage at concentrations between 0.2 × 10 −3 and 200 × 10 −3 m and without any negative effects on DNA origami shape. This work thus provides a basis for the long‐term storage of DNA origami nanostructures, which is an important prerequisite for various technological and medical applications.