Prof. Dr. Friedrich C. Simmel, The Simmel Lab, Department of Physics, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany

Condensing DNA into nanometer-sized objects and patterns 

In nature, DNA molecules often have to be packed into strongly confined spaces such as the cell nucleus, sperm heads, or virus capsids. This condensation process is facilitated by cationic condensing agents, which help to overcome the strong electrostatic repulsions between closely packed DNA duplexes. In this talk, we will present two applications of condensing agents in an artificial context. First, we demonstrate how polyamines can be used to create and stabilize DNA origami nanostructures under low ionic strength conditions. Second, we show how condensation of micrometer long DNA molecules can be directed along one-dimensional lines on a lithographically structured biochip. The dynamics of 1D condensation depends on the size of the patterns and can be utilized for the implementation of unconventional computational processes.

References:

1. A. Chopra, S. Krishnan, F. C. Simmel, Nano Letters (2016) - DOI:10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b03586

2. Günther Pardatscher, Dan Bracha, Ohad Vonshak, Shirley Daube, F. C. Simmel Roy Bar-Ziv, Nature Nanotechnology (2016) - DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2016.142

Host: Professor Kurt V. Gothelf, CDNA, iNANO & Dep. of Chemistry, Aarhus University