Abstract
The major goal of DNA nanotechnology has been the design and manufacture of artificial DNA structures for technological uses. The porous three-dimensional DNA crystals have been proposed as macromolecular scaffolds for host–guest structure determination, as molecular sieves and as molecular containers for catalysis. By using fluorescence dequenching technique, we have demonstrated that a protein enzyme adsorbed in a designed three-dimensional DNA crystal is capable of performing catalysis. The axially distinct aperture sizes in the crystal design allowed us to improve the enclosing of the enzyme with a protective protein-based “coating” cross-linked over the crystal surface. This coating allows entry and exit of small molecules through the crystal while restricting enzymes inside the crystal. This enzyme-enclosed DNA crystal is capable of performing multiple cycles of catalysis and it retained its enzymatic activity over numerous days after being protein-coated. The concepts of the enzyme-enclosed DNA crystal and the unique protein coating technique provide possibilities to the development of enzyme replacement therapies and biodegradable solid-state catalysts and biosensors.
This research has been supported by NSF CAREER award DMR-1149665.
References
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