EPFL researchers have found that controlling super-selective binding interactions between nanomaterials and protein surfaces requires not only adjusting the molecular density but also the pattern and structural rigidity. Researchers at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have discover
Original microscopy data on different ligand patterns on DNA materials Credit: © Bastings/PBL EPFL
“When binding is triggered by a threshold density of target receptors, we call this “super-selective” binding, which is key to preventing random interactions that could dysregulate biological function,” explains Maartje Bastings, head of the Programmable Biomaterials Laboratory in the School of Engineering. “Since nature typically doesn’t overcomplicate things, we wanted to know the minimum number of binding interactions that would still allow for super-selective binding to occur.
is the perfect model molecule for the PBL’s research. For this study, the team designed a rigid disk made entirely out of DNA, where the position and number of all ligand molecules could be precisely controlled. After engineering a series of ligand-receptor architectures to explore how density, geometry, and nano-spacing influenced binding super-selectivity, the team realized that rigidity was a key factor. “The more flexible, the less precise,” Bastings summarizes.
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