Single species RNA purification using DNA nanoswitches

Abstract

RNA purification is a critical need in biomedical research. The development of tools for analyzing structure, function, and chemical modifications of RNA have outpaced those for RNA purification. The DNA nanoswitch method is a new ‘catch and release’ approach for targeted purification of specific RNA sequences from complex mixtures. Capture of a target RNA reconfigures the DNA nanoswitch from the linear ‘off’ state to the looped ‘on’ state. The RNA bound to the nanoswitch can be quantified and isolated to obtain pure RNA of a single sequence.