22.05.2012

General Meeting: People: Ali, Alexander (HiWi at Ralfs lab), Santiago, Praveen, Agata, Varsha, Thomas
Description of the project to Alexander:

1. Coupling of DNA Origami to membrane and signaling (transcription activation)
2. Dimerization process OR DNA transformer (opens the structure: transcription factor can bind)
3. Mimic integrins: that one GUV binds to another

Some key points for DNA origami:

• Website: cando-> Upload DNA Origami, they send a video what the Origami would look like
• Agata send Dominik and Alexander (Olek) an Email to meet them.
• We already had a GUV lab practical which could be useful.
• Ralf supports Alex participation in the group. Main Origami design with caDNAno is quite fast.
• Longer staples are also possible, short staples doesn’t work so good….up to 49 bp; too many scaffold crossings might not be so good. Skip bases can bend the structure. Online tutorials at the caDNAno page.

Usual Steps:

1. Design construct
2. Send it to cando to get idea if it could work
3. Then order DNA Origami (1 week)
4. Pipette together-> assemble it (fast routine: slow routine: 15 h : 72 h); heating and cooling down, then the structure can assemble.
5. For already proven structures-> How long does it take to replicate structure? Usually in the supplementary data you can replicate it around 4 hours (maybe with a good computer: 2 hours); Label sth. for example with a biotin. Book appointment at TEM.

Basic Idea:

• The transcription solution works better for the artificial cell system. Transcription part is ready. Motivation is not good enough. Everything happens outside the cel...
• The GUV attachment to each other-> Integrin's idea: Mimic one step of vesicle fusion:

1. DNA Origami incorporated in the GUVs
2. Signal comes -> aptamer approach
3. Aptamer changes the conformation of our construct
4. Small vesicles mimicking Integrins (detection with FRET)
5. Receptors

• Discuss the utility of either attaching the vesicles to each other without fusion and/or doing the artificial transcription outside of the GUV….
• Karen modified the Text for Birte (Long Night of Science), Thomas will modify and translate it a little bit and then send it to Birte tonight.
• Project idea: Use a DNA Nanostructure to recognize via aptamers specific surface proteins on cancer cells and then opens the structure (Box/barrel like…). Inside we have functionalized invasin which induces endo/phagocytosis by the cancer cell. This DNA Nanostructure is attached to a vesicle which can be used as highly specific drug target delivery vesicle.