Abstract
Thus far, directed DNA assembly has relied on Watson-Crick base pairing, and this has been a powerful and preferred approach in structural DNA nanotechnology.1 We have been interested in developing non-Watson-Crick based building blocks to make functional assemblies in structural DNA nanotechnology.2 I will describe how one can use a four-stranded DNA motif called the i-tetraplex3 to build a pH triggered conformational switch. We demonstrate the first intracellular application of DNA nanoswitches by mapping spatiotemporal pH changes associated with endosome maturation in living cells.5 I will also describe our recent developments of this system that improve the temporal resolution, tune pH sensitivity to desirable pH regimes suited to measuring pH in various cellular compartments.Figure 1. DNA nanomachine maps spatiotemporal pH changes in living cell endosome maturation.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have