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Cervantes-Salguero K, Kadrmas M, Ward BM, Lysne D, Wolf A, Piantanida L, Pascual G, Knowlton WB. Minimizing Structural Heterogeneity in DNA Self-Assembled Dye Templating via DNA Origami-Tuned Conformations. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:10195-10207. [PMID: 38690801 PMCID: PMC11100016 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c00470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
With recent advances in DNA-templated dye aggregation for leveraging and engineering molecular excitons, a need exists for minimizing structural heterogeneity. Holliday Junction complexes (HJ) are commonly used to covalently template dye aggregates on their core; however, the global conformation of HJ is detrimentally dynamic. Here, the global conformation of the HJ is selectively tuned by restricting its position and orientation by using a sheet-like DNA origami construct (DOC) physisorbed on glass. The HJ arms are fixed with four different designed interduplex angles (IDAs). Atomic force microscopy confirmed that the HJs are bound to the surface of DOC with tuned IDAs. Dye orientation distributions were determined by combining dipole imaging and super-resolution microscopy. All IDAs led to dye orientations having dispersed distributions along planes perpendicular to the HJ plane, suggesting that stacking occurred between the dye and the neighboring DNA bases. The dye-base stacking interpretation was supported by increasing the size of the core cavity. The narrowest IDA minimizes structural heterogeneity and suggests dye intercalation. A strong correlation is found between the IDA and the orientation of the dye along the HJ plane. These results show that the HJ imposes restrictions on the dye and that the dye-DNA interactions are always present regardless of global conformation. The implications of our results are discussed for the scalability of dye aggregates using DNA self-assembly. Our methodology provides an avenue for the solid-supported single-molecule characterization of molecular assemblies templated on biomolecules─such as DNA and protein templates involved in light-harvesting and catalysis─with tuned conformations and restricted in position and orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keitel Cervantes-Salguero
- Micron
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Madison Kadrmas
- Micron
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Brett M. Ward
- Micron
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Drew Lysne
- Micron
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Amanda Wolf
- Biomolecular
Sciences Graduate Programs, Boise State
University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Luca Piantanida
- Micron
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Gissela Pascual
- Micron
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - William B. Knowlton
- Micron
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
- Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
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Pascual G, Roy SK, Barcenas G, Wilson CK, Cervantes-Salguero K, Obukhova OM, Krivoshey AI, Terpetschnig EA, Tatarets AL, Li L, Yurke B, Knowlton WB, Mass OA, Pensack RD, Lee J. Effect of hydrophilicity-imparting substituents on exciton delocalization in squaraine dye aggregates covalently templated to DNA Holliday junctions. NANOSCALE 2024; 16:1206-1222. [PMID: 38113123 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr04499h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Molecular aggregates exhibit emergent properties, including the collective sharing of electronic excitation energy known as exciton delocalization, that can be leveraged in applications such as quantum computing, optical information processing, and light harvesting. In a previous study, we found unexpectedly large excitonic interactions (quantified by the excitonic hopping parameter Jm,n) in DNA-templated aggregates of squaraine (SQ) dyes with hydrophilic-imparting sulfo and butylsulfo substituents. Here, we characterize DNA Holliday junction (DNA-HJ) templated aggregates of an expanded set of SQs and evaluate their optical properties in the context of structural heterogeneity. Specifically, we characterized the orientation of and Jm,n between dyes in dimer aggregates of non-chlorinated and chlorinated SQs. Three new chlorinated SQs that feature a varying number of butylsulfo substituents were synthesized and attached to a DNA-HJ via a covalent linker to form adjacent and transverse dimers. Various characteristics of the dye, including its hydrophilicity (in terms of log Po/w) and surface area, and of the substituents, including their local bulkiness and electron withdrawing capacity, were quantified computationally. The orientation of and Jm,n between the dyes were estimated using a model based on Kühn-Renger-May theory to fit the absorption and circular dichroism spectra. The results suggested that adjacent dimer aggregates of all the non-chlorinated and of the most hydrophilic chlorinated SQ dyes exhibit heterogeneity; that is, they form a mixture of dimers subpopulations. A key finding of this work is that dyes with a higher hydrophilicity (lower log Po/w) formed dimers with smaller Jm,n and large center-to-center dye distance (Rm,n). Also, the results revealed that the position of the dye in the DNA-HJ template, that is, adjacent or transverse, impacted Jm,n. Lastly, we found that Jm,n between symmetrically substituted dyes was reduced by increasing the local bulkiness of the substituent. This work provides insights into how to maintain strong excitonic coupling and identifies challenges associated with heterogeneity, which will help to improve control of these dye aggregates and move forward their potential application as quantum information systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gissela Pascual
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
| | - Simon K Roy
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
| | - German Barcenas
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
| | - Christopher K Wilson
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
| | | | - Olena M Obukhova
- State Scientific Institution "Institute for Single Crystals" of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kharkiv 61072, Ukraine
| | - Alexander I Krivoshey
- State Scientific Institution "Institute for Single Crystals" of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kharkiv 61072, Ukraine
| | | | - Anatoliy L Tatarets
- State Scientific Institution "Institute for Single Crystals" of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kharkiv 61072, Ukraine
| | - Lan Li
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
| | - Bernard Yurke
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
| | - William B Knowlton
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
| | - Olga A Mass
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
| | - Ryan D Pensack
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
| | - Jeunghoon Lee
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
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Somasundaran SM, Kompella SVK, Madapally HV, Vishnu EK, Balasubramanian S, Thomas KG. Red Circularly Polarized Luminescence from Dimeric H-Aggregates of Acridine Orange by Chiral Induction. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:507-513. [PMID: 38190655 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c03127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the mechanism of chirality transfer from a chiral surface to an achiral molecule is essential for designing molecular systems with tunable chiroptical properties. These aspects are explored herein using l- and d-isomers of alkyl valine amphiphiles, which self-assemble in water as nanofibers possessing a negative surface charge. An achiral chromophore, acridine orange, upon electrostatic binding on these surfaces displays mirror-imaged bisignated circular dichroism and red-emitting circularly polarized luminescence signals with a high dissymmetry factor. Experimental and computational investigations establish that the chiroptical properties emerge from surface-bound asymmetric H-type dimers of acridine orange, further supported by fluorescence lifetime imaging studies. Specifically, atomistic molecular dynamics simulations show that the experimentally observed chiral signatures have their origin in van der Waals interactions between acridine orange dimers and the amphiphile head groups as well as in the extent of solvent exposure of the chromophore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanoop Mambully Somasundaran
- School of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM), Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram 695551, India
| | - Srinath V K Kompella
- Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur, Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Hridya Valia Madapally
- School of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM), Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram 695551, India
| | - E Krishnan Vishnu
- School of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM), Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram 695551, India
| | - Sundaram Balasubramanian
- Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur, Bangalore 560064, India
| | - K George Thomas
- School of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM), Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram 695551, India
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Basu S, Roy SK, Barcenas G, Li L, Yurke B, Knowlton WB, Lee J. Enhanced Photo-Cross-Linking of Thymines in DNA Holliday Junction-Templated Squaraine Dimers. Biochemistry 2023; 62:3234-3244. [PMID: 37906841 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Programmable self-assembly of dyes using DNA templates to promote exciton delocalization in dye aggregates is gaining considerable interest. New methods to improve the rigidity of the DNA scaffold and thus the stability of the molecular dye aggregates to encourage exciton delocalization are desired. In these dye-DNA constructs, one potential way to increase the stability of the aggregates is to create an additional covalent bond via photo-cross-linking reactions between thymines in the DNA scaffold. Specifically, we report an approach to increase the yield of photo-cross-linking reaction between thymines in the core of a DNA Holliday junction while limiting the damage from UV irradiation to DNA. We investigated the effect of the distance between thymines on the photo-cross-linking reaction yields by using linkers with different lengths to tether the dyes to the DNA templates. By comprehensively evaluating the photo-cross-linking reaction yields of dye-DNA aggregates using linkers with different lengths, we conclude that interstrand thymines tend to photo-cross-link more efficiently with short linkers. A higher cross-linking yield was achieved due to the shorter intermolecular distance between thymines influenced by strong dye-dye interactions. Our method establishes the possibility of improving the stability of DNA-scaffolded dye aggregates, thereby expanding their use in exciton-based applications such as light harvesting, nanoscale computing, quantum computing, and optoelectronics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shibani Basu
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Simon K Roy
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - German Barcenas
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Lan Li
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Bernard Yurke
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - William B Knowlton
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Jeunghoon Lee
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
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Mathur D, Díaz SA, Hildebrandt N, Pensack RD, Yurke B, Biaggne A, Li L, Melinger JS, Ancona MG, Knowlton WB, Medintz IL. Pursuing excitonic energy transfer with programmable DNA-based optical breadboards. Chem Soc Rev 2023; 52:7848-7948. [PMID: 37872857 PMCID: PMC10642627 DOI: 10.1039/d0cs00936a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
DNA nanotechnology has now enabled the self-assembly of almost any prescribed 3-dimensional nanoscale structure in large numbers and with high fidelity. These structures are also amenable to site-specific modification with a variety of small molecules ranging from drugs to reporter dyes. Beyond obvious application in biotechnology, such DNA structures are being pursued as programmable nanoscale optical breadboards where multiple different/identical fluorophores can be positioned with sub-nanometer resolution in a manner designed to allow them to engage in multistep excitonic energy-transfer (ET) via Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) or other related processes. Not only is the ability to create such complex optical structures unique, more importantly, the ability to rapidly redesign and prototype almost all structural and optical analogues in a massively parallel format allows for deep insight into the underlying photophysical processes. Dynamic DNA structures further provide the unparalleled capability to reconfigure a DNA scaffold on the fly in situ and thus switch between ET pathways within a given assembly, actively change its properties, and even repeatedly toggle between two states such as on/off. Here, we review progress in developing these composite materials for potential applications that include artificial light harvesting, smart sensors, nanoactuators, optical barcoding, bioprobes, cryptography, computing, charge conversion, and theranostics to even new forms of optical data storage. Along with an introduction into the DNA scaffolding itself, the diverse fluorophores utilized in these structures, their incorporation chemistry, and the photophysical processes they are designed to exploit, we highlight the evolution of DNA architectures implemented in the pursuit of increased transfer efficiency and the key lessons about ET learned from each iteration. We also focus on recent and growing efforts to exploit DNA as a scaffold for assembling molecular dye aggregates that host delocalized excitons as a test bed for creating excitonic circuits and accessing other quantum-like optical phenomena. We conclude with an outlook on what is still required to transition these materials from a research pursuit to application specific prototypes and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divita Mathur
- Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH 44106, USA
| | - Sebastián A Díaz
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Code 6900, USA.
| | - Niko Hildebrandt
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
- Department of Engineering Physics, McMaster University, Hamilton, L8S 4L7, Canada
| | - Ryan D Pensack
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA.
| | - Bernard Yurke
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA.
| | - Austin Biaggne
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA.
| | - Lan Li
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA.
- Center for Advanced Energy Studies, Idaho Falls, ID 83401, USA
| | - Joseph S Melinger
- Electronics Science and Technology Division, Code 6800, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA
| | - Mario G Ancona
- Electronics Science and Technology Division, Code 6800, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA
| | - William B Knowlton
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA.
| | - Igor L Medintz
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Code 6900, USA.
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Mass OA, Watt DR, Patten LK, Pensack RD, Lee J, Turner DB, Yurke B, Knowlton WB. Exciton delocalization in a fully synthetic DNA-templated bacteriochlorin dimer. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:28437-28451. [PMID: 37843877 PMCID: PMC10599410 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp01634j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
A bacteriochlorophyll a (Bchla) dimer is a basic functional unit in the LH1 and LH2 photosynthetic pigment-protein antenna complexes of purple bacteria, where an ordered, close arrangement of Bchla pigments-secured by noncovalent bonding to a protein template-enables exciton delocalization at room temperature. Stable and tunable synthetic analogs of this key photosynthetic subunit could lead to facile engineering of exciton-based systems such as in artificial photosynthesis, organic optoelectronics, and molecular quantum computing. Here, using a combination of synthesis and theory, we demonstrate that exciton delocalization can be achieved in a dimer of a synthetic bacteriochlorin (BC) featuring stability, high structural modularity, and spectral properties advantageous for exciton-based devices. The BC dimer was covalently templated by DNA, a stable and highly programmable scaffold. To achieve exciton delocalization in the absence of pigment-protein interactions critical for the Bchla dimer, we relied on the strong transition dipole moment in BC enabled by two auxochromes along the Qy transition, and omitting the central metal and isocyclic ring. The spectral properties of the synthetic "free" BC closely resembled those of Bchla in an organic solvent. Applying spectroscopic modeling, the exciton delocalization in the DNA-templated BC dimer was evaluated by extracting the excitonic hopping parameter, J to be 214 cm-1 (26.6 meV). For comparison, the same method applied to the natural protein-templated Bchla dimer yielded J of 286 cm-1 (35.5 meV). The smaller value of J in the BC dimer likely arose from the partial bacteriochlorin intercalation and the difference in medium effect between DNA and protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga A Mass
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
| | - Devan R Watt
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
| | - Lance K Patten
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
| | - Ryan D Pensack
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
| | - Jeunghoon Lee
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
| | - Daniel B Turner
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
| | - Bernard Yurke
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
| | - William B Knowlton
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
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