Self Assembly of Helical Cyanine Dye Aggregates on Nucleic Acid Templates

本项目将探索菁染料在核酸纳米模板上的可控聚集。 最终的结果是自发组装的手性，螺旋聚集体的花青二聚体。 聚集体的尺寸通过改变DNA的长度来控制。 聚集体的性质将使用各种光谱技术，包括紫外-可见吸收，圆二色性和荧光方法，并通过停流光谱进行研究。 合作的努力将探索这些聚集体的X射线晶体学研究的可能性，以及菁染料之间的电子相互作用的理论处理。有了这个奖项，有机和大分子化学程序的有机合成程序支持教授布鲁斯A。卡内基梅隆大学的阿米蒂奇。 阿米蒂奇教授将研究某些染料分子的性质，以组装在由DNA螺旋组成的模板上。 如此组装，这些聚集体本身可以作为模板用于产生复杂结构，其保留了最初由DNA赋予的一些特征。 这些组件的属性将被研究，因为将其形成的动力学。

This project will explore the controlled aggregation of cyanine dyes on nucleic acid nanotemplates. The end result is the spontaneous assembly of chiral, helical aggregates of cyanine dimers. The dimensions of the aggregate are controlled by varying the length of the DNA. The properties of the aggregates will be studied using a variety of spectroscopic techniques, including UV-vis absorption, circular dichroism and fluorescence methods, and by stopped flow spectroscopy. Collaborative efforts will explore the possibilities of X-ray crystallographic studies of these aggregates, as well as a theoretical treatment of the electronic interactions among the cyanine dyes.With this award, the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program's Organic Synthesis Program supports the research of Professor Bruce A. Armitage of Carnegie Mellon University. Professor Armitage will investigate the properties of certain dye molecules to assemble on a template consisting of the DNA helix. Thus assembled, these aggregates can themselves serve as the template for the generation of complex structures that retain some of the characteristics initially imparted by the DNA. The properties of these assemblies will be studied as will the dynamics of their formation.