Synthetic Polymer Hybridization with DNA and RNA Directs Nanoparticle Loading, Silencing Delivery, and Aptamer Function

Abstract

We report herein discrete triplex hybridization of DNA and RNA with polyacrylates. Length-monodisperse triazine-derivatized polymers were prepared on gram-scale by reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization. Despite stereoregio backbone heterogeneity, the triazine polymers bind T/U-rich DNA or RNA with nanomolar affinity upon mixing in a 1:1 ratio, as judged by thermal melts, circular dichroism, gel-shift assays, and fluorescence quenching. We call these polyacrylates “bifacial polymer nucleic acids” (bP_oNAs). Nucleic acid hybridization with bP_oNA enables DNA loading onto polymer nanoparticles, siRNA silencing delivery, and can further serve as an allosteric trigger of RNA aptamer function. Thus, bP_oNAs can serve as tools for both non-covalent bioconjugation and structure–function nucleation. It is anticipated that bP_oNAs will have utility in both bio- and nanotechnology