Biodegradable DNA-Brush Block Copolymer Spherical Nucleic Acids Enable Transfection Agent-Free Intracellular Gene Regulation

Chuan Zhang, Liangliang Hao, Colin M. Calabrese, Yu Zhou, Chung Hang J. Choi, Hang Xing, Chad A. Mirkin*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

70 Scopus citations

Abstract

By grafting multiple DNA strands onto one terminus of a polyester chain, a DNA-brush block copolymer that can assemble into micelle structure is constructed. These micelle spherical nucleic acids have a density of nucleic acids that is substantively higher than linear DNA block copolymer structures, which makes them effective cellular transfection and intracellular gene regulation agents.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)5360-5368
Number of pages9
JournalSmall
Volume11
Issue number40
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2015

Funding

C.Z., L.H., and C.M.C, contributed equally to this work. C.A.M. acknowledges support from the Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (CCNE) initiative of National Institutes of Health (NIH) Awards U54 CA119341 and U54 CA151880, Dixon Translational Research Grants Initiative, and the Defense Advanced Research Planning Agency Award N66001‐11‐1‐4189. L.H. was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Student Research Fellow. C.H.J.C. acknowledges a postdoctoral research fellowship from the Croucher Foundation. The electron microscopy work was performed at the Biological Imaging Facility (BIF) and the Electron Probe Instrumentation Center (EPIC) at Northwestern University. The authors also thank Dr. Natalia Chernyak for providing the azide‐terminated oligo(ethylene oxide) initiator.

Keywords

  • DNA-brush block copolymers
  • cellular uptake
  • gene regulation
  • micelles
  • spherical nucleic acids

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Engineering (miscellaneous)
  • General Chemistry
  • General Materials Science
  • Biotechnology
  • Biomaterials

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