Surfactant‐Assisted Purification of Hydrophobic DNA Nanostructures

Abstract

Purification of functional DNA nanostructures is an essential step in achieving intended functions because misfolded structures and the remaining free DNA strands in a solution can interact and affect their behavior. However, due to hydrophobicity-mediated aggregation, it is difficult to purify DNA nanostructures modified with hydrophobic molecules by conventional methods. Herein, we report the purification of cholesterol-modified DNA nanostructures by using a novel surfactant-assisted gel extraction. The addition of sodium cholate (SC) to the sample solution before structure folding prevented aggregation; this was confirmed by gel electrophoresis. We also found that adding sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) to the sample inhibited structural folding. The cholesterol-modified DNA nanostructures prepared with SC were successfully purified by gel extraction, and their ability to bind to the lipid membrane surfaces was maintained. This method will facilitate the purification of DNA nanostructures modified with hydrophobic molecules and expand their applicability in the construction of artificial cell-like systems.

Artificial Molecular Systems for Complex Functions Based on DNA Nanotechnology and Cell‐Sized Lipid Vesicles

“…To avoid this issue, surfactant was often mixed with the hydrophobic nanopores. Expanding this approach, a surfactant‐assisted purification method for cholesterol‐modified nanopores was developed [26] . Adding sodium cholate, an anionic surfactant, to the sample solution before the nanopore folding prevented aggregation, which allowed purification of the structure by gel extraction.…”