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Since Darwin popularized the evolution theory in 1895, it has been completed and studied through the years. Starting in 1990s, evolution at molecular level has been used to discover functional molecules while studying the origin of functional molecules in nature by mimicing the natural selection process in laboratory. Along this

Since Darwin popularized the evolution theory in 1895, it has been completed and studied through the years. Starting in 1990s, evolution at molecular level has been used to discover functional molecules while studying the origin of functional molecules in nature by mimicing the natural selection process in laboratory. Along this line, my Ph.D. dissertation focuses on the in vitro selection of two important biomolecules, deoxynucleotide acid (DNA) and protein with binding properties. Chapter two focuses on in vitro selection of DNA. Aptamers are single-stranded nucleic acids that generated from a random pool and fold into stable three-dimensional structures with ligand binding sites that are complementary in shape and charge to a desired target. While aptamers have been selected to bind a wide range of targets, it is generally thought that these molecules are incapable of discriminating strongly alkaline proteins due to the attractive forces that govern oppositely charged polymers. By employing negative selection step to eliminate aptamers that bind with off-target through charge unselectively, an aptamer that binds with histone H4 protein with high specificity (>100 fold)was generated. Chapter four focuses on another functional molecule: protein. It is long believed that complex molecules with different function originated from simple progenitor proteins, but very little is known about this process. By employing a previously selected protein that binds and catalyzes ATP, which is the first and only protein that was evolved completely from random pool and has a unique α/β-fold protein scaffold, I fused random library to the C-terminus of this protein and evolved a multi-domain protein with decent properties. Also, in chapter 3, a unique bivalent molecule was generated by conjugating peptides that bind different sites on the protein with nucleic acids. By using the ligand interactions by nucleotide conjugates technique, off-the shelf peptide was transferred into high affinity protein capture reagents that mimic the recognition properties of natural antibodies. The designer synthetic antibody amplifies the binding affinity of the individual peptides by ∼1000-fold to bind Grb2 with a Kd of 2 nM, and functions with high selectivity in conventional pull-down assays from HeLa cell lysates.
ContributorsJiang, Bing (Author) / Chaput, John C (Thesis advisor) / Chen, Julian (Committee member) / Liu, Yan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
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Description
DNA has recently emerged as an extremely promising material to organize molecules on nanoscale. The reliability of base recognition, self-assembling behavior, and attractive structural properties of DNA are of unparalleled value in systems of this size. DNA scaffolds have already been used to organize a variety of molecules including nanoparticles

DNA has recently emerged as an extremely promising material to organize molecules on nanoscale. The reliability of base recognition, self-assembling behavior, and attractive structural properties of DNA are of unparalleled value in systems of this size. DNA scaffolds have already been used to organize a variety of molecules including nanoparticles and proteins. New protein-DNA bio-conjugation chemistries make it possible to precisely position proteins and other biomolecules on underlying DNA scaffolds, generating multi-biomolecule pathways with the ability to modulate inter-molecular interactions and the local environment. This dissertation focuses on studying the application of using DNA nanostructure to direct the self-assembly of other biomolecular networks to translate biochemical pathways to non-cellular environments. Presented here are a series of studies toward this application. First, a novel strategy utilized DNA origami as a scaffold to arrange spherical virus capsids into one-dimensional arrays with precise nanoscale positioning. This hierarchical self-assembly allows us to position the virus particles with unprecedented control and allows the future construction of integrated multi-component systems from biological scaffolds using the power of rationally engineered DNA nanostructures. Next, discrete glucose oxidase (GOx)/ horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enzyme pairs were organized on DNA origami tiles with controlled interenzyme spacing and position. This study revealed two different distance-dependent kinetic processes associated with the assembled enzyme pairs. Finally, a tweezer-like DNA nanodevice was designed and constructed to actuate the activity of an enzyme/cofactor pair. Using this approach, several cycles of externally controlled enzyme inhibition and activation were successfully demonstrated. This principle of responsive enzyme nanodevices may be used to regulate other types of enzymes and to introduce feedback or feed-forward control loops.
ContributorsLiu, Minghui (Author) / Yan, Hao (Thesis advisor) / Liu, Yan (Thesis advisor) / Chen, Julian (Committee member) / Zhang, Peiming (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
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Description
DNA is a unique, highly programmable and addressable biomolecule. Due to its reliable and predictable base recognition behavior, uniform structural properties, and extraordinary stability, DNA molecules are desirable substrates for biological computation and nanotechnology. The field of DNA computation has gained considerable attention due to the possibility of exploiting the

DNA is a unique, highly programmable and addressable biomolecule. Due to its reliable and predictable base recognition behavior, uniform structural properties, and extraordinary stability, DNA molecules are desirable substrates for biological computation and nanotechnology. The field of DNA computation has gained considerable attention due to the possibility of exploiting the massive parallelism that is inherent in natural systems to solve computational problems. This dissertation focuses on building novel types of computational DNA systems based on both DNA reaction networks and DNA nanotechnology. A series of related research projects are presented here. First, a novel, three-input majority logic gate based on DNA strand displacement reactions was constructed. Here, the three inputs in the majority gate have equal priority, and the output will be true if any two of the inputs are true. We subsequently designed and realized a complex, 5-input majority logic gate. By controlling two of the five inputs, the complex gate is capable of realizing every combination of OR and AND gates of the other 3 inputs. Next, we constructed a half adder, which is a basic arithmetic unit, from DNA strand operated XOR and AND gates. The aim of these two projects was to develop novel types of DNA logic gates to enrich the DNA computation toolbox, and to examine plausible ways to implement large scale DNA logic circuits. The third project utilized a two dimensional DNA origami frame shaped structure with a hollow interior where DNA hybridization seeds were selectively positioned to control the assembly of small DNA tile building blocks. The small DNA tiles were directed to fill the hollow interior of the DNA origami frame, guided through sticky end interactions at prescribed positions. This research shed light on the fundamental behavior of DNA based self-assembling systems, and provided the information necessary to build programmed nanodisplays based on the self-assembly of DNA.
ContributorsLi, Wei (Author) / Yan, Hao (Thesis advisor) / Liu, Yan (Thesis advisor) / Chen, Julian (Committee member) / Gould, Ian (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
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Description
DNA nanotechnology is one of the most flourishing interdisciplinary research fields. Through the features of programmability and predictability, DNA nanostructures can be designed to self-assemble into a variety of periodic or aperiodic patterns of different shapes and length scales, and more importantly, they can be used as scaffolds for organizing

DNA nanotechnology is one of the most flourishing interdisciplinary research fields. Through the features of programmability and predictability, DNA nanostructures can be designed to self-assemble into a variety of periodic or aperiodic patterns of different shapes and length scales, and more importantly, they can be used as scaffolds for organizing other nanoparticles, proteins and chemical groups. By leveraging these molecules, DNA nanostructures can be used to direct the organization of complex bio-inspired materials that may serve as smart drug delivery systems and in vitro or in vivo bio-molecular computing and diagnostic devices. In this dissertation I describe a systematic study of the thermodynamic properties of complex DNA nanostructures, including 2D and 3D DNA origami, in order to understand their assembly, stability and functionality and inform future design endeavors. It is conceivable that a more thorough understanding of DNA self-assembly can be used to guide the structural design process and optimize the conditions for assembly, manipulation, and functionalization, thus benefiting both upstream design and downstream applications. As a biocompatible nanoscale motif, the successful integration, stabilization and separation of DNA nanostructures from cells/cell lysate suggests its potential to serve as a diagnostic platform at the cellular level. Here, DNA origami was used to capture and identify multiple T cell receptor mRNA species from single cells within a mixed cell population. This demonstrates the potential of DNA nanostructure as an ideal nano scale tool for biological applications.
ContributorsWei, Xixi (Author) / Liu, Yan (Thesis advisor) / Yan, Hao (Thesis advisor) / Chen, Julian (Committee member) / Gould, Ian (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
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Description
Protein-surface interactions, no matter structured or unstructured, are important in both biological and man-made systems. Unstructured interactions are more difficult to study with conventional techniques due to the lack of a specific binding structure. In this dissertation, a novel approach is employed to study the unstructured interactions between proteins and

Protein-surface interactions, no matter structured or unstructured, are important in both biological and man-made systems. Unstructured interactions are more difficult to study with conventional techniques due to the lack of a specific binding structure. In this dissertation, a novel approach is employed to study the unstructured interactions between proteins and heterogonous surfaces, by looking at a large number of different binding partners at surfaces and using the binding information to understand the chemistry of binding. In this regard, surface-bound peptide arrays are used as a model for the study. Specifically, in Chapter 2, the effects of charge, hydrophobicity and length of surface-bound peptides on binding affinity for specific globular proteins (&beta-galactosidase and &alpha1-antitrypsin) and relative binding of different proteins were examined with LC Sciences peptide array platform. While the general charge and hydrophobicity of the peptides are certainly important, more surprising is that &beta-galactosidase affinity for the surface does not simply increase with the length of the peptide. Another interesting observation that leads to the next part of the study is that even very short surface-bound peptides can have both strong and selective interactions with proteins. Hence, in Chapter 3, selected tetrapeptide sequences with known binding characteristics to &beta-galactosidase are used as building blocks to create longer sequences to see if the binding function can be added together. The conclusion is that while adding two component sequences together can either greatly increase or decrease overall binding and specificity, the contribution to the binding affinity and specificity of the individual binding components is strongly dependent on their position in the peptide. Finally, in Chapter 4, another array platform is utilized to overcome the limitations associated with LC Sciences. It is found that effects of peptide sequence properties on IgG binding with HealthTell array are quiet similar to what was observed with &beta-galactosidase on LC Science array surface. In summary, the approach presented in this dissertation can provide binding information for both structured and unstructured interactions taking place at complex surfaces and has the potential to help develop surfaces covered with specific short peptide sequences with relatively specific protein interaction profiles.
ContributorsWang, Wei (Author) / Woodbury, Neal W (Thesis advisor) / Liu, Yan (Committee member) / Chaput, John (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
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Description
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has emerged as an excellent molecular building block for nanoconstruction in addition to its biological role of preserving genetic information. Its unique features such as predictable conformation and programmable intra- and inter-molecular Watson-Crick base pairing interactions make it a remarkable engineering material. A variety of convenient design

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has emerged as an excellent molecular building block for nanoconstruction in addition to its biological role of preserving genetic information. Its unique features such as predictable conformation and programmable intra- and inter-molecular Watson-Crick base pairing interactions make it a remarkable engineering material. A variety of convenient design rules and reliable assembly methods have been developed to engineer DNA nanostructures. The ability to create designer DNA architectures with accurate spatial control has allowed researchers to explore novel applications in directed material assembly, structural biology, biocatalysis, DNA

computing, nano-robotics, disease diagnosis, and drug delivery.

This dissertation focuses on developing the structural design rules for "static" DNA nano-architectures with increasing complexity. By using a modular self-assembly method, Archimedean tilings were achieved by association of different DNA motifs with designed arm lengths and inter-tile sticky end interactions. By employing DNA origami method, a new set of design rules was created to allow the scaffolds to travel in arbitrary directions in a designed geometry without local symmetry restrictions. Sophisticated wireframe structures of higher-order complexity were designed and constructed successfully. This dissertation also presents the use of "dynamic" DNA nanotechnology to construct DNA origami nanostructures with programmed reconfigurations.
ContributorsZhang, Fei (Author) / Yan, Hao (Thesis advisor) / Liu, Yan (Thesis advisor) / Gould, Ian (Committee member) / Zhang, Peiming (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
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Description
Though DNA nanostructures (DNs) have become interesting subjects of drug delivery, in vivo imaging and biosensor research, however, for real biological applications, they should be ‘long circulating’ in blood. One of the crucial requirements for DN stability is high salt concentration (like ~5–20 mM Mg2+) that is unavailable in a

Though DNA nanostructures (DNs) have become interesting subjects of drug delivery, in vivo imaging and biosensor research, however, for real biological applications, they should be ‘long circulating’ in blood. One of the crucial requirements for DN stability is high salt concentration (like ~5–20 mM Mg2+) that is unavailable in a cell culture medium or in blood. Hence DNs denature promptly when injected into living systems. Another important factor is the presence of nucleases that cause fast degradation of unprotected DNs. The third factor is ‘opsonization’ which is the immune process by which phagocytes target foreign particles introduced into the bloodstream. The primary aim of this thesis is to design strategies that can improve the in vivo stability of DNs, thus improving their pharmacodynamics and biodistribution.

Several strategies were investigated to address the three previously mentioned limitations. The first attempt was to study the effect length and conformation of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on DN stability. DNs were also coated with PEG-lipid and human serum albumin (HSA) and their stealth efficiencies were compared. The findings reveal that both PEGylation and albumin coating enhance low salt stability, increase resistance towards nuclease action and reduce uptake of DNs by macrophages. Any protective coating around a DN increases its hydrodynamic radius, which is a crucial parameter influencing their clearance. Keeping this in mind, intrinsically stable DNs that can survive low salt concentration without any polymer coating were built. Several DNA compaction agents and DNA binders were screened to stabilize DNs in low magnesium conditions. Among them arginine, lysine, bis-lysine and hexamine cobalt showed the potential to enhance DN stability.

This thesis also presents a sensitive assay, the Proximity Ligation Assay (PLA), for the estimation of DN stability with time. It requires very simple modifications on the DNs and it can yield precise results from a very small amount of sample. The applicability of PLA was successfully tested on several DNs ranging from a simple wireframe tetrahedron to a 3D origami and the protocol to collect in vivo samples, isolate the DNs and measure their stability was developed.
ContributorsBanerjee, Saswata (Author) / Yan, Hao (Thesis advisor) / Angell, Austen (Committee member) / Woodbury, Neal (Committee member) / Liu, Yan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Using DNA nanotechnology a library of structures of various geometries have been built; these structures are modified chemically and/or enzymatically at nanometer precisions. With DNA being chemically very stable, these structures can be functionalized through an abundance of well-established protocols. Additionally, they can be used for various biological and medicinal

Using DNA nanotechnology a library of structures of various geometries have been built; these structures are modified chemically and/or enzymatically at nanometer precisions. With DNA being chemically very stable, these structures can be functionalized through an abundance of well-established protocols. Additionally, they can be used for various biological and medicinal purposes, such as drug delivery. For in vivo applications, the DNA nanostructures must have a long circulation life in the bloodstream; otherwise, they could be easily excreted shortly after entry. One way of making these nanostructures long lasting in the blood is to cover them with the biocompatible polymer, polyethylene glycol (PEG). Adding DNA to PEG before forming structures has been found to interfere in the hybridization of the DNA in the structure, resulting in formation of deformed structures. In this study we have developed a new methodology based on "click chemistry" (CC) to modify the surface of DNA nanostructures with PEG after they are formed. These structures can then be used for in vivo studies and potential applications in the future.
ContributorsSmith, Eric Lynn (Author) / Yan, Hao (Thesis director) / Liu, Yan (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor)
Created2015-05
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Description
Currently, quantification of single cell RNA species in their natural contexts is restricted due to the little number of parallel analysis. Through this, we identify a method to increase the multiplexing capacity of RNA analysis for single cells in situ. Initially, RNA transcripts are found by using fluorescence in situ

Currently, quantification of single cell RNA species in their natural contexts is restricted due to the little number of parallel analysis. Through this, we identify a method to increase the multiplexing capacity of RNA analysis for single cells in situ. Initially, RNA transcripts are found by using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Once imaging and data storage is completed, the fluorescence signal is detached through photobleaching. By doing so, the FISH is reinitiated to detect other RNA species residing in the same cell. After reiterative cycles of hybridization, imaging and photobleaching, the identities, positions and copy numbers of a huge amount of varied RNA species can be computed in individual cells in situ. Through this approach, we have evaluated seven different transcripts in single HeLa cells with five reiterative RNA FISH cycles. This method has the ability to detect over 100 varied RNA species in single cells in situ, which can be further applied in studies of systems biology, molecular diagnosis and targeted therapies.
ContributorsJavangula, Saiswathi (Author) / Guo, Jia (Thesis director) / Liang, Jianming (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
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Description
Nature is a master at organizing biomolecules in all intracellular processes, and researchers have conducted extensive research to understand the way enzymes interact with each other through spatial and orientation positioning, substrate channeling, compartmentalization, and more.

DNA nanostructures of high programmability and complexity provide excellent scaffolds to arrange multiple molecular/macromolecular

Nature is a master at organizing biomolecules in all intracellular processes, and researchers have conducted extensive research to understand the way enzymes interact with each other through spatial and orientation positioning, substrate channeling, compartmentalization, and more.

DNA nanostructures of high programmability and complexity provide excellent scaffolds to arrange multiple molecular/macromolecular components at nanometer scale to construct interactive biomolecular complexes and networks. Due to the sequence specificity at different positions of the DNA origami nanostructures, spatially addressable molecular pegboard with a resolution of several nm (less than 10 nm) can be achieved. So far, DNA nanostructures can be used to build nanodevices ranging from in vitro small molecule biosensing to sophisticated in vivo therapeutic drug delivery systems and multi-enzyme networks.

This thesis focuses on how to use DNA nanostructures as programmable biomolecular scaffolds to arranges enzymatic systems. Presented here are a series of studies toward this goal. First, we survey approaches used to generate protein-DNA conjugates and the use of structural DNA nanotechnology to engineer rationally designed nanostructures. Second, novel strategies for positioning enzymes on DNA nanoscaffolds has been developed and optimized, including site-specific/ non site-specific protein-DNA conjugation, purification and characterization. Third, an artificial swinging arm enzyme-DNA complex has been developed to mimic substrate channeling process. Finally, we extended to build a artificial 2D multi-enzyme network.
ContributorsYang, Yuhe Renee (Author) / Yan, Hao (Thesis advisor) / Liu, Yan (Thesis advisor) / Chen, Julian (Committee member) / Hayes, Mark (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016