Nanocages dramatically facilitate structure formation of biomolecules

Macromolecules regularly fold and unfold themselves inside cells. Their diverse three-dimensional structures help determine their functions. Understanding molecule folding can shed light on complex physical processes that may influence diseases, cancers and allergies.

A team led by Hiroshi Sugiyama and Masayuki Endo of iCeMS collaborating with the team from Kent State University designed structures and experimental system that successfully manipulates G-quadruplexes (groups of guanine nucleic acids, the ‘G’s in the DNA sequence) inside nanocages, which are also made of DNA. The team measured how different-sized spaces affect the thermodynamic stability and unfolding and folding kinetics of these molecules.

This research was published online on March 22, 2017 in Nature Nanotechnologies