The use of DNA-based building blocks represents a valuable approach for the assembly of nanostructures, that holds promise for numerous applications from biological probe, drug delivery tools to organizational scaffolds.1 Recently, the versatility of these structures has been enhanced by the site-specific incorporation within the DNA-backbone of organic molecules which effectively bind transition metals.2 This allows to combine the features of DNA (programmability, binding specificity, structural definition on nanometer scale) with those provided by metals; for instance, dramatically increased stability, but also the possibility to create new structural motifs and to endow the resulting constructs with new redox, magnetic, photophysical and catalytic properties. Here we explore the effect of introducing a metal junction at different sites within a DNA duplex and its incorporation in more complex structures. The resulting assemblies are stable and the chirality of the DNA-helix can be transferred to the metal junction and used for different purposes.Science 2008  , 321,1795-1799.Angew. Chem. In. Ed., 2011  , 50, 4620-4623.

Assembly of metallated structures from DNA-based building blocks

244th National Meeting (2012)

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