Thursday, 10 June, 2010
A Programmable DNA-Based Molecular Valve for Colloidal Mesoporous Silica
A. Schlossbauer, S. Warncke, P. M. E. Gramlich, J. Kecht, A. Manetto, T. Carell, and T. Bein -
Angew. Chem. Int. Edition, published online: 10 Jun 2010
Letting off steam: A temperature-controlled valve system permits the targeted release of guest fluorescein molecules from the pores of colloidal mesoporous silica particles. The pore-opening temperature is dependent on the length of double-stranded DNA linkers. Avidin proteins that are joined to the DNA by a biotin modification act as the molecular valve at the exits to the pores.