Use of DNA nanodevices in modulating the mechanical properties of polyacrylamide gels

Abstract

Here we show that bulk materials can be given new properties through the incorporation of DNA-based nanodevices. In particular, by employing simple nanodevices as crosslinks in polyacrylamide gels we have made the mechanical properties of these gels responsive to the presence of particular DNA strands. Two examples will be focused on here. One consists of a polymer system that can be switched between a sol and a gel state though the application of DNA strands that either form crosslinks or remove crosslinks. The other consists of a hydrogel whose crosslinks incorporate a motor domain. The stiffness of this hydrogel can be altered through the application of fuel strands, which stiffen and lengthen the crosslinks, or through the application of removal strands which remove the fuel strands form the motor domain. Such DNA-responsive gels may find applications in biomedical technology ranging from drug delivery to tissue engineering. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.