Amplified stretch of bottlebrush-coated DNA in nanofluidic channels.

The effect of a cationic-neutral diblock polypeptide on the conformation of single DNA molecules confined in rectangular nanochannels is investigated with fluorescence microscopy. An enhanced stretch along the channel is observed with increased binding of the cationic block of the polypeptide to DNA. A maximum stretch of 85% of the contour length can be achieved inside a channel with a cross-sectional diameter of 200 nm and at a 2-fold excess of polypeptide with respect to DNA charge. With site-specific fluorescence labelling, it is demonstrated that this maximum stretch is sufficient to map large-scale genomic organization. Monte Carlo computer simulation shows that the amplification of the stretch inside the nanochannels is owing to an increase in bending rigidity and thickness of bottlebrush-coated DNA. The persistence lengths and widths deduced from the nanochannel data agree with what has been estimated from the analysis of atomic force microscopy images of dried complexes on silica.

Next-generation nanoantibacterial tools developed from peptides.

Bacteria resistant against various antimicrobial compounds have emerged in many countries, and the age of resistance has just started. Among the more promising novel antimicrobial compounds on which current research is focusing are the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). These are often less susceptible to bacterial resistance since multiple modifications in the cellular membranes, cell wall and metabolism are required to reduce their effectiveness. Most likely, the use of pure AMPs will be insufficient for controlling pathogenic bacteria, and innovative approaches are required to employ AMPs in new antibiotic treatments. Therefore, here we review novel bionanotechnological approaches, including nanofibers, nanoparticles and magnetic particles for effectively using AMPs in fighting infectious diseases.

Structure and stability of complex coacervate core micelles with lysozyme.

Encapsulation of enzymes by polymers is a promising method to influence their activity and stability. Here, we explore the use of complex coacervate core micelles for encapsulation of enzymes. The core of the micelles consists of negatively charged blocks of the diblock copolymer PAA42PAAm417 and the positively charged homopolymer PDMAEMA150. For encapsulation, part of the positively charged homopolymer was replaced by the positively charged globular protein lysozyme. We have studied the formation, structure, and stability of the resulting micelles for three different mixing ratios of homopolymer and lysozyme: a system predominantly consisting of homopolymer, a system predominantly consisting of lysozyme, and a system where the molar ratio between the two positively charged molecules was almost one. We also studied complexes made of only lysozyme and PAA42PAAm417. Complex formation and the salt-induced disintegration of the complexes were studied using dynamic light-scattering titrations. Small-angle neutron scattering was used to investigate the structures of the cores. We found that micelles predominantly consisting of homopolymer are spherical but that complex coacervate core micelles predominantly consisting of lysozyme are nonspherical. The stability of the micelles containing a larger fraction of lysozyme is lower.