Scientific Reports (Jun 2017)

Biomimetic Molecular Signaling using DNA Walkers on Microparticles

  • Tulsi Ram Damase,
  • Adam Spencer,
  • Bamidele Samuel,
  • Peter B. Allen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-04316-1
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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Abstract We report the release of catalytic DNA walkers from hydrogel microparticles and the detection of those walkers by substrate-coated microparticles. This might be considered a synthetic biology analog of molecular signal release and reception. One type of particles was coated with components of a DNA one-step strand displacement (OSD) reaction to release the walker. A second type of particle was coated with substrate (or “track”) for the molecular walker. We distinguish these particle types using fluorescence barcoding: we synthesized and distinguished multiple particle types with multicolor fluorescence microscopy and automated image analysis software. This represents a step toward amplified, multiplex, and microscopically localized detection based on DNA nanotechnology.