Room temperature and selective triggering of supramolecular DNA assembly/ disassembly by non-ionizing radiation

2019 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 1910

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2019

Study typein_vitro

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Room temperature and selective triggering of supramolecular DNA assembly/ disassembly by non-ionizing radiation Greschner AA, Ropagnol X, Kort M, Zuberi N, Perreault J, Razzari L, Ozaki T, Gauthier MA. Room temperature and selective triggering of supramolecular DNA assembly/disassembly by non-ionizing radiation. J Am Chem Soc. 2019 Feb 1. doi: 10.1021/jacs.8b10355. Abstract Recent observations have suggested that non-ionizing radiation in the microwave and terahertz (THz; far infrared) regimes could have an effect on double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). These observations are of significance owing to the omnipresence of microwave emitters in our daily lives (e.g., food preparation, telecommunication, wireless internet) and the increasing prevalence of THz emitters for imaging (e.g., concealed weapon detection in airports, screening skin cancer) and communication technologies. By examining multiple DNA nanostructures as well as two plasmid DNA, microwaves were shown to promote the repair and assembly of DNA nanostructures and single-stranded regions of plasmid DNA, while intense THz pulses had the opposite effect (in particular for short dsDNA). Both effects occurred at room temperature within minutes, showed a DNA-length dependence, and did not affect the chemical integrity of the DNA. Intriguingly, the function of seven proteins (enzymes and antibodies) was not affected by exposure to either forms of radiation under the conditions examined. This particularity was exploited to assemble a fully-functional hybrid DNA-protein nanostructure in a bottom-up manner. This study therefore provides entirely new perspectives for the effects, on a molecular level, of non-ionizing radiation on biomolecules. Moreover, the proposed structure-activity relationships could be exploited in the field of DNA nanotechnology, which paves the way for designing a new range of functional DNA nanomaterials that are currently inaccessible to state-of-the-art assembly protocols. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typein_vitro

Effect directionmixed

PopulationNot supplied

Sample sizeNot supplied

Exposuremicrowave/terahertz · within minutes

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In experiments on multiple DNA nanostructures and two plasmid DNA, microwaves promoted repair and assembly of DNA nanostructures and single-stranded regions of plasmid DNA, while intense terahertz pulses had the opposite effect (noted particularly for short double-stranded DNA). Effects occurred at room temperature within minutes, were DNA-length dependent, and did not affect chemical integrity of the DNA; seven proteins tested were reportedly not affected under the examined conditions.

Outcomes measured

DNA nanostructure assembly/repair
DNA nanostructure disassembly
Effects on plasmid DNA single-stranded regions
Chemical integrity of DNA
Protein function (enzymes, antibodies) under exposure conditions
Hybrid DNA-protein nanostructure assembly feasibility

Limitations

Frequencies and exposure metrics (e.g., power density, SAR) not reported in the abstract
In vitro molecular/nanostructure study; generalizability to organisms or real-world exposures not established in the abstract
Details on experimental design, controls, and statistical analysis not provided in the abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "in_vitro",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "microwave/terahertz",
    "source": "other",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "within minutes"
  },
  "population": null,
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "DNA nanostructure assembly/repair",
    "DNA nanostructure disassembly",
    "Effects on plasmid DNA single-stranded regions",
    "Chemical integrity of DNA",
    "Protein function (enzymes, antibodies) under exposure conditions",
    "Hybrid DNA-protein nanostructure assembly feasibility"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In experiments on multiple DNA nanostructures and two plasmid DNA, microwaves promoted repair and assembly of DNA nanostructures and single-stranded regions of plasmid DNA, while intense terahertz pulses had the opposite effect (noted particularly for short double-stranded DNA). Effects occurred at room temperature within minutes, were DNA-length dependent, and did not affect chemical integrity of the DNA; seven proteins tested were reportedly not affected under the examined conditions.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Frequencies and exposure metrics (e.g., power density, SAR) not reported in the abstract",
    "In vitro molecular/nanostructure study; generalizability to organisms or real-world exposures not established in the abstract",
    "Details on experimental design, controls, and statistical analysis not provided in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "non-ionizing radiation",
    "microwave",
    "terahertz",
    "far infrared",
    "DNA",
    "double-stranded DNA",
    "plasmid DNA",
    "DNA nanostructures",
    "assembly",
    "disassembly",
    "protein function",
    "enzymes",
    "antibodies",
    "DNA nanotechnology"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b10355
PubMed: Not supplied

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