Issue 39, 2022

Protection of DNA by metal ions at 95 °C: from lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior to coordination-driven self-assembly

Abstract

While polyvalent metal ions and heating can both degrade nucleic acids, we herein report that a combination of them leads to stabilization. After incubating 4 mM various metal ions and DNA oligonucleotides at 95 °C for 3 h at pH 6 or 8, metal ions were divided into four groups based on gel electrophoresis results. Mg2+ can stabilize DNA at pH 6 without forming stable nanoparticles at room temperature. Co2+, Cu2+, Cd2+, Mn2+ and Zn2+ all protected the DNA and formed nanoparticles, whereas the nanoparticles formed with Fe2+ and Ni2+ were so stable that they remained even in the presence of EDTA. At pH 8, Ce3+ and Pb2+ showed degraded DNA bands. For Mg2+, better protection was achieved with higher metal and DNA concentrations. By monitoring temperature-programmed fluorescence change, a sudden drop in fluorescence intensity attributable to the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) transition of DNA was found to be around 80 °C for Mg2+, while this transition temperature decreased with increasing Mn2+ concentration. The unexpected thermal stability of DNA enabled by metal ions is useful for extending the application of DNA at high temperatures, forming coordination-driven nanomaterials, and it might offer insights into the origin of life on the early Earth.

Graphical abstract: Protection of DNA by metal ions at 95 °C: from lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior to coordination-driven self-assembly

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 iyn 2022
Accepted
03 sen 2022
First published
05 sen 2022

Nanoscale, 2022,14, 14613-14622

Protection of DNA by metal ions at 95 °C: from lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior to coordination-driven self-assembly

C. Lu, Y. Xu, P. J. Huang, M. Zandieh, Y. Wang, J. Zheng and J. Liu, Nanoscale, 2022, 14, 14613 DOI: 10.1039/D2NR03461A

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