Regensburg 2016 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 14: Posters - Biotechnology and Bioengineering

BP 14.3: Poster

Montag, 7. März 2016, 17:30–19:30, Poster C

Influence of different hydrophobic tags on structural properties and membrane insertion probability of artificial DNA nanopores — •Alexander Ohmann, Kerstin Göpfrich, and Ulrich F. Keyser — Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK

Biological ion channels are involved in numerous cellular processes and their dysfunction constitutes key events in many pathological processes. It has been shown that the directed folding of DNA allows the fabrication of versatile and programmable synthetic ion channels that can self-insert into the lipid membrane via hydrophobic tags such as cholesterol. However, number and type of hydrophobic tags employed have a significant influence on the structural properties of individual DNA constructs, their behavior at higher concentrations, and their insertion probability into the lipid bilayer. Here, we present initial results on understanding these effects by a thorough analysis of nanoscale DNA constructs assembled entirely from chemically synthetized DNA single strands modified with a variety of hydrophobic tags. The influence on structural properties have been studied on the single molecule level as well as in bulk. Electrophysiological measurements provide insight into their insertion efficiency as well as their characteristics as ion channels. The results of our study greatly enhance our understanding of how to design such artificial ion channels and optimize their insertion efficiency. Making them more adaptable to ambient conditions such as hydrophobicity and salt concentration these synthetic nanopores therefore become increasingly attractive for biomedical applications.