中国科学技术大学邓兆祥团队开发出快速合成DNA密度最高球形核酸的策略。相关研究成果发表在2021年2月18日出版的国际学术期刊《美国化学会杂志》。

修饰有高密度DNA链的纳米颗粒（NPs）又称球形核酸（SNAs），广泛应用于DNA可编程组装、传感、成像和治疗等领域。常规的SNA合成非常耗时，需要非常小心地避免NP聚合。

该文中，研究人员报告了一个非常简单，高效，可扩展的过程，以实现即时（在几秒钟内）合成SNAs与创纪录的高DNA密度。该方法依赖与丁醇相接触的DNA/NP混合物的快速脱水。该过程产生一个脱水的“固溶体”，通过Au-S键大大加速DNA在核动力源上的锚定。与文献中最先进的DNA结合策略相比，丁醇快速脱水（INDEBT）可使DNA密度提高3倍。超高密度的DNA移植在几秒钟内完成，这是高度杂交形成核心-卫星组件。

研究工作使SNA合成成为一项简单的工作，并使未来探索超高DNA密度SNA的物理、化学和生物效应成为可能。

附：英文原文

Title: Flash Synthesis of Spherical Nucleic Acids with Record DNA Density

Author: Yan Hao, Yanjuan Li, Lei Song, Zhaoxiang Deng

Issue&Volume: February 18, 2021

Abstract: Nanoparticles (NPs) decorated with a high density of DNA strands, also known as spherical nucleic acids (SNAs), are widely used in DNA-programmable assembly, sensing, imaging, and therapeutics. A regular SNA synthesis is very time-consuming, which requires great caution to avoid NP aggregation. Herein we report an extremely simple, efficient, and scalable process to realize instant (in seconds) synthesis of SNAs with record-high DNA density. Our method relies on a rapid water removal from a DNA/NP mixture in contact with a butanol phase. This process generates a dehydrated “solid solution” that greatly accelerates DNA anchorage on NPs via Au–S bonding. Compared to a state-of-the-art DNA conjugation strategy in the literature, up to 3-time increase of DNA density is achieved by the instant dehydration in butanol (INDEBT). The ultradense DNA grafting is accomplished in a few seconds, which is highly hybridizable to form core–satellite assemblies. Our work turns SNA synthesis into an easy job, and enables future explorations of physical, chemical, and biological effects of SNAs with ultrahigh DNA density.

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c00568

Source: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.1c00568