B. CELL-SPECIFIC AND ORGANELLE-SPECIFIC TARGETING
To quantify analytes in subcellular organelles, we encode the device with targeting information that can localize the nucleic acid device to a specific subcellular organelle. Diverse pathogenic cargo or molecular cargo that the cell needs for its survival, enter the cell via specific endocytic pathways. Each pathway can be accessed by encoding the molecular programs required to engage a specific receptor or trafficking pathway. Thus, the targeting module of this class of nucleic acid nanodevices can incorporate these specific molecular signals for targeting to intracellular locations of choice.
The molecular programs for targeting are as follow:
Endocytic ligand and cognate receptor
Endocytic ligands, such as proteins like epidermal growth factor (EGF) or small molecules like folic acid, bind to their cognate receptors. In other words, the EGF receptor or the folate receptor resident at the plasma membrane is subsequently trafficked inside the cell to specific endocytic organelles
Anionic ligand-binding receptor and the negatively charged DNA backbone
DNA’s phos- phate backbone makes it polyanionic. This inherent negative charge has been exploited to target DNA devices to cells that express the anion ligand-binding receptors (ALBRs) or scavenger receptors in macrophages
Aptamers against cell surface proteins
By integrating an aptamer to the extracellular domain of a trafficking protein onto a nanodevice, one can traffic a DNA nanodevice from the extracellular milieu to a subcellular compartment
Chimera of synthetic DNA receptor
A generalizable synthetic, molecular programming strategy was outlined by us. The advantages of this strategy are that it circumvents both the need for an aptamer to a cell-surface protein as well as the need to chemically conjugate endocytic ligands to DNA nanodevices.
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