S1 Nuclease Activity on Poly- Adenine- Mediated Spherical Nucleic Acids

Abstract Background Recently, spherical nucleic acids ( SNA ) have attracted the attention of many professionals and scientists. However, due to the very limited and incomplete researches, the mechanism of the SNA and nuclease remains confusing and ambiguous. Methods and results In this work, the poly-adenine-modified spherical nucleic acid ( polyA-SNA ) was selected as the experimental subject for the first time to study the activity of S1 nuclease on the surface of gold nanoparticles. We have systematically investigated the regulation of S1 nuclease activity changing by many factors, including PEG, DNA combining form, particle size, DNA combining density and DNA strand length. Conclusion The mechanism of biomolecular - nanoparticle interface affecting S1 nuclease activity was preliminarily discussed. The results will also be helpful to understand and construct high stability SNA probes and lay a foundation for expanding their biological applications in complex environments.