NER: Orthogonal Molecular Recognition Motifs for Nanoscale Assembly

这项授予德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校的纳米级探索性研究（NER）奖是由化学（MPS）和化学运输系统（ENG）部门支持的，该提案是根据“纳米级科学与工程”（NSF 01-157）招标提交的。有了这个奖项，Krische和Anslyn教授将设计和合成一个低聚物家族，作为合成的可编程密码子，模仿DNA的模板，以体现信息存储特性。具有可编程密码子的低聚物将使用不同的化学物质合成，例如：新戊基氨基醇-与氨基二氯三嗪相连；guanidinium-phosphates;guanidinium-carboxylates;还有二氢酞嗪二酮-二氨基苯酞。这些具有染料标记链的低聚物将通过核磁共振稀释实验、等温滴定量热法、蒸气压渗透法和薄层色谱交叉杂交来评估其自组装和模板结合亲和力。在这个物理和合成有机化学跨学科项目中，本科生和研究生的培训和研究是该项目的组成部分。一组具有染料标记基团和“可编程”的纳米级超高亲和/特异性构建块的低聚物将被设计和合成，作为具有模仿DNA某些特性的信息存储能力的“密码子”。这些低聚物将实现表面图像化方案，其中通过自发自组装产生多个预定的光学星座，代表“记忆位”。由于该项目的跨学科性质，拟议的研究计划将促进从有机化学到分子识别和材料模式等领域的研究生和本科生的教育和培训。

This Nanoscale Exploratory Research (NER) award to University of Texas Austin is supported by Divisions of Chemistry (MPS) and Chemical Transport Systems (ENG), and this proposal was submitted in response to the solicitation "Nanoscale Science and Engineering" (NSF 01-157). With this award, Professors Krische and Anslyn will design and synthesize a family of oligomers to serve as synthetic programmable codons to mimic the templating by DNA to embody information storage properties. Oligomers with programmable codons will be synthesized using different chemistries such as: neopentyl amino alcohol-linked to amino-dichlorotriazines; guanidinium-phosphates; guanidinium-carboxylates; and dihydrophalazine diones-diaminophthalazins. These oligomers with dye-labeled strands will be evaluated for self-assembly and templating binding affinities using NMR dilution experiments, isothermal titration calorimetry, vapor pressure osmometry and cross-hybridization by thin layer chromatography. Training and research of undergraduate and graduate students in this interdisciplinary program in physical and synthetic organic chemistry are integral parts of the project. A group of oligomers with dye-labeled groups and with "programmable" ultra high-affinity/specificity building blocks in nanoscale will be designed and synthesized to serve as "codons" with information storage capabilities mimicking some of the properties of DNA. These oligomers will enable surface-patterning schemes wherein multiple, predetermined optical constellations representing "memory-bits" are generated via spontaneous self-assembly. Owing to the interdisciplinary nature of this project, the proposed program of research will facilitate education and training of both graduate and undergraduate students in fields ranging from organic chemistry to molecular recognition and materials patterning.