Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 rue Sherbrooke West, Montreal, QC, H3A 0B8, Canada.
Published: March 2019
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
The incorporation of synthetic molecules as corner units in DNA structures has been of interest over the last two decades. In this work, we present a facile method for generating branched small molecule-DNA hybrids with controllable valency, different sequences, and directionalities (5'-3') using a "printing" process from a simple 3-way junction structure. We also show that the DNA-imprinted small molecule can be extended asymmetrically using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and can be replicated chemically. This strategy provides opportunities to achieve new structural motifs in DNA nanotechnology and introduce new functionalities to DNA nanostructures.
Covalently branched DNA molecules are hybrid structures where a small molecule core is covalently linked to different DNA strands. They merge the programmability of DNA nanotechnology with synthetic molecules' functionality, offering enhanced stability over their non-covalent counterparts like double-crossover tiles. They enable the efficient assembly of stable DNA nanostructures with new geometries and functionalities.
Background: The inactivation of tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) caused by abnormal DNA methylation is confirmed to be widely present in oral potential malignant diseases (OPMDs). Carotenoids like lycopene and astaxanthin can regulate DNA methylation and exert anticancer effects. Therapeutic effect of astaxanthin in OPMDs and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) models is confirmed, but the relationship between the anti-cancer ability of astaxanthin and its DNA methylation regulation ability remains unclear.
Considering the increasingly demand for printing in daily life, more attention should be paid to the health risks of printer emissions to consumers. This study designed a two-stage cross-over study with 20 volunteers to investigate whether the short-term exposure to printing shop particles (PSPs) could cause inflammatory responses and genetic damage in healthy young volunteers. According to the study, short-term exposure to high level of PSPs caused the elevation of eotaxin and TNF-α levels in serum, indicating PSPs exposure led to the inflammation in healthy subjects.
Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, The Key Laboratory of Zhejiang Province for Aptamers and Theranostics, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310022, China.
Safely and effectively harnessing innate immunity to boost cancer immunotherapy is promising yet challenging. Hence, we have developed a series of programmable aptamer-based multispecific engagers by encoding various artificial aptamer-drug codons with DNA-templated polymerization, aiming to broadly boost innate and adaptive immunity for antitumor therapy. All circular single-stranded multivalent aptamer-drug conjugates (os-mvApDCs) had a dendritic structure, precise size, and excellent stability, enabling prolonged blood circulation, targeted tumor accumulation, and rapid multireceptor-mediated endocytosis.
Polymorphing hydrogels can morph into another structure on demand with reprogrammable features. This concept extends the degree of morphing beyond that of traditional shape-morphing hydrogels, which predetermine their morphing capabilities at the fabrication stage. However, current polymorphing hydrogels face limitations due to the need for complex, non-sustained responsiveness or additional chemical steps for reconfigurable morphing.
