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DNA-Directed Chemistry

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2012) | Viewed by 32875

Special Issue Editor

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-4454, USA
Interests: DNA nanotechnology; DNA self-assembly; Non-canonical DNA

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nearly 60 years after becoming the emblematic “molecule of life”, DNA has continued to shed its purely biological skin to become an important polymer in nearly all aspects of chemistry. The properties that make DNA a robust carrier of genetic information – simplicity, stability, and programmability – have also made it the premier biopolymer at the rapidly emerging interface of biology, chemistry, materials science, and engineering. No longer just a code to be read by the cell, DNA is now a catalyst, building material, machine, robot, and computer.

This special issue of Molecules welcomes previously unpublished manuscripts that highlight non-biological roles of DNA and its properties that enable broad functionality in chemistry and biology. Topics will include, but are not limited to: DNA nanotechnology, catalysis, self-assembly, DNA-derived polymers, sensors and beacons, DNA-directed synthesis, DNA machines, and DNA computation.

Dr. Paul Paukstelis
Guest Editor

Keywords

  • DNA catalysis
  • DNA-directed synthesis
  • DNA-directed transfer reactions
  • ligation assay
  • multiplex assay
  • native chemical ligation
  • peptide nucleic acids
  • templates
  • template
  • catalysis
  • turnover
  • DNA nanotechnology
  • DNA beacons
  • DNA sensors
  • DNA self-assembly
  • DNA origami

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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578 KiB  
Article
Spatial Control of DNA Reaction Networks by DNA Sequence
by Peter B. Allen, Xi Chen and Andrew D. Ellington
Molecules 2012, 17(11), 13390-13402; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules171113390 - 09 Nov 2012
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5232
Abstract
We have developed a set of DNA circuits that execute during gel electrophoresis to yield immobile, fluorescent features in the gel. The parallel execution of orthogonal circuits led to the simultaneous production of different fluorescent lines at different positions in the gel. The [...] Read more.
We have developed a set of DNA circuits that execute during gel electrophoresis to yield immobile, fluorescent features in the gel. The parallel execution of orthogonal circuits led to the simultaneous production of different fluorescent lines at different positions in the gel. The positions of the lines could be rationally manipulated by changing the mobilities of the reactants. The ability to program at the nanoscale so as to produce patterns at the macroscale is a step towards programmable, synthetic chemical systems for generating defined spatiotemporal patterns. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue DNA-Directed Chemistry)
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Review

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442 KiB  
Review
Nucleoside Triphosphates — Building Blocks for the Modification of Nucleic Acids
by Marcel Hollenstein
Molecules 2012, 17(11), 13569-13591; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules171113569 - 15 Nov 2012
Cited by 129 | Viewed by 11426
Abstract
Nucleoside triphosphates are moldable entities that can easily be functionalized at various locations. The enzymatic polymerization of these modified triphosphate analogues represents a versatile platform for the facile and mild generation of (highly) functionalized nucleic acids. Numerous modified triphosphates have been utilized in [...] Read more.
Nucleoside triphosphates are moldable entities that can easily be functionalized at various locations. The enzymatic polymerization of these modified triphosphate analogues represents a versatile platform for the facile and mild generation of (highly) functionalized nucleic acids. Numerous modified triphosphates have been utilized in a broad palette of applications spanning from DNA-tagging and -labeling to the generation of catalytic nucleic acids. This review will focus on the recent progress made in the synthesis of modified nucleoside triphosphates as well as on the understanding of the mechanisms underlying their polymerase acceptance. In addition, the usefulness of chemically altered dNTPs in SELEX and related methods of in vitro selection will be highlighted, with a particular emphasis on the generation of modified DNA enzymes (DNAzymes) and DNA-based aptamers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue DNA-Directed Chemistry)
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347 KiB  
Review
DNA as a Chiral Scaffold for Asymmetric Synthesis
by Soyoung Park and Hiroshi Sugiyama
Molecules 2012, 17(11), 12792-12803; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules171112792 - 31 Oct 2012
Cited by 44 | Viewed by 8518
Abstract
DNA as a Chiral Scaffold for Asymmetric Synthesis Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue DNA-Directed Chemistry)
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3200 KiB  
Review
DNA-Directed Base Pair Opening
by Youri Timsit
Molecules 2012, 17(10), 11947-11964; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules171011947 - 11 Oct 2012
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 7279
Abstract
Strand separation is a fundamental molecular process essential for the reading of the genetic information during DNA replication, transcription and recombination. However, DNA melting in physiological conditions in which the double helix is expected to be stable represents a challenging problem. Current models [...] Read more.
Strand separation is a fundamental molecular process essential for the reading of the genetic information during DNA replication, transcription and recombination. However, DNA melting in physiological conditions in which the double helix is expected to be stable represents a challenging problem. Current models propose that negative supercoiling destabilizes the double helix and promotes the spontaneous, sequence-dependent DNA melting. The present review examines an alternative view and reveals how DNA compaction may trigger the sequence dependent opening of the base pairs. This analysis shows that in DNA crystals, tight DNA-DNA interactions destabilize the double helices at various degrees, from the alteration of the base-stacking to the opening of the base-pairs. The electrostatic repulsion generated by the DNA close approach of the negatively charged sugar phosphate backbones may therefore provide a potential source of the energy required for DNA melting. These observations suggest a new molecular mechanism for the initial steps of strand separation in which the coupling of the DNA tertiary and secondary interactions both actively triggers the base pair opening and stabilizes the intermediate states during the melting pathway. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue DNA-Directed Chemistry)
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