skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: An RNA Aptamer Capable of Forming a Hydrogel by Self-Assembly

Journal Article · · Biomacromolecules

Hydrogels are supramolecular assemblies with both solute transport properties like liquids and mechanical properties like elastomers. To date, every type of biomolecules except ribonucleic acid (RNA), is capable of forming a hydrogel. Here, we report an RNA that forms a hydrogel by self-assembly. This RNA is originally identified by systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) to enhance the activity of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors as a potential RNA drug for the treatment of cognitive disorders. The RNA hydrogel exhibits an elastic modulus plateau on the order of 102 Pa and shows dynamic RNA chain interactions with relaxation behaviors similar to living wormlike micellar solutions. Small-angle X-ray scattering and cryogenic electron microscopy characterization support the RNA network structures. Here, by sequence mutation and rheological measurements, we reveal two key sequence motifs in the RNA responsible for intermolecular recognition and the formation of a polymer network by self-assembly.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC); NIH/NINDS; USDOD
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357; RO1 NS060812; W1XWH-09-1-0568
OSTI ID:
1374625
Journal Information:
Biomacromolecules, Vol. 18, Issue 7; ISSN 1525-7797
Publisher:
American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 7 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (59)

Biological hydrogels as selective diffusion barriers journal September 2011
Hydrogels in pharmaceutical formulations journal July 2000
Solute Diffusion within Hydrogels. Mechanisms and Models journal November 1998
Self-assembly of short peptides to form hydrogels: Design of building blocks, physical properties and technological applications journal April 2014
Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels As Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications: A Review journal May 2011
Spontaneous assembly of a self-complementary oligopeptide to form a stable macroscopic membrane. journal April 1993
Rational design and application of responsive α-helical peptide hydrogels journal July 2009
Modification of β-Sheet Forming Peptide Hydrophobic Face: Effect on Self-Assembly and Gelation journal May 2016
Harnessing Supramolecular and Peptidic Self-Assembly for the Construction of Reinforced Polymeric Tissue Scaffolds journal April 2017
A pH-Triggered, Fast-Responding DNA Hydrogel journal September 2009
Enzyme-catalysed assembly of DNA hydrogel journal September 2006
A mechanical metamaterial made from a DNA hydrogel journal December 2012
Clamped Hybridization Chain Reactions for the Self-Assembly of Patterned DNA Hydrogels journal January 2017
The Peculiar Response of DNA Hydrogel Fibers to a Salt and pH Stimulus journal March 2009
Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering journal July 2001
Hydrogels in Regenerative Medicine journal September 2009
Designing Hydrogels for On-Demand Therapy journal February 2017
Development of hydrogels for regenerative engineering journal February 2017
The non-Watson-Crick base pairs and their associated isostericity matrices journal August 2002
The Molecular Interactions That Stabilize RNA Tertiary Structure: RNA Motifs, Patterns, and Networks journal December 2011
RNA evolution and the origins of life journal March 1989
Current Progress of RNA Aptamer-Based Therapeutics journal January 2012
Thiamine derivatives bind messenger RNAs directly to regulate bacterial gene expression journal October 2002
RNA Aptamers Selected against the GluR2 Glutamate Receptor Channel journal October 2007
Potent and Selective Inhibition of the Open-Channel Conformation of AMPA Receptors by an RNA Aptamer journal June 2010
Potent and Selective Inhibition of a Single α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid (AMPA) Receptor Subunit by an RNA Aptamer journal April 2011
High-performance liquid chromatography purification of chemically modified RNA aptamers journal March 2014
In vitro selection of RNA molecules that bind specific ligands journal August 1990
Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment: RNA ligands to bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase journal August 1990
Glutamate-based therapeutic approaches: ampakines journal February 2006
Interactions between glutamatergic and monoaminergic systems within the basal ganglia-implications for schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease journal July 1990
Rheological Monitoring of Polyacrylamide Gelation:  Importance of Cross-Link Density and Temperature journal October 2004
Dependence of the mechanical properties of actin/α-actinin gels on deformation rate journal February 1987
Micelle formation of detergent molecules in aqueous media. 2. Role of free salicylate ions on viscoelastic properties of aqueous cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-sodium salicylate solutions journal March 1988
Statics and dynamics of worm-like surfactant micelles journal August 1990
Rheological properties of viscoelastic surfactant systems journal August 1988
Filament stretching and capillary breakup extensional rheometry measurements of viscoelastic wormlike micelle solutions journal July 2007
A protocol for rheological characterization of hydrogels for tissue engineering strategies: A Protocol for Rheological Characterization of Hydrogels
  • Zuidema, Jonathan M.; Rivet, Christopher J.; Gilbert, Ryan J.
  • Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials, Vol. 102, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1002/jbm.b.33088
journal December 2013
Cryogenic Transmission Electron Microscopy (Cryo-TEM) of Micelles and Vesicles Formed in Water by Poly(ethylene oxide)-Based Block Copolymers journal April 2002
A guide to ions and RNA structure journal March 2004
Structural characterization of proteins and complexes using small-angle X-ray solution scattering journal October 2010
Unusual mechanical stability of a minimal RNA kissing complex journal October 2006
Crosslinked biopolymers: Experimental evidence for scalar percolation theory journal March 1990
Critical properties of viscoelasticity of gels and elastic percolation networks journal August 1990
Percolation on Elastic Networks: New Exponent and Threshold journal January 1984
Aggregated DNA in ethanol solution journal November 1995
The compaction of DNA helices into either continuous supercoils or folded-fiber rods and toroids journal February 1978
Mfold web server for nucleic acid folding and hybridization prediction journal July 2003
Rules for RNA recognition of GNRA tetraloops deduced by invitro selection: comparison with invivo evolution journal June 1997
Leukemogenesis by Moloney murine leukemia virus: A multistep process journal February 1997
RNA tertiary interactions in the large ribosomal subunit: The A-minor motif journal April 2001
Stretching of Homopolymeric RNA Reveals Single-Stranded Helices and Base-Stacking journal April 2007
Physical properties of Rous Sarcoma Virus RNA. journal August 1968
Inter-RNA Interaction of Phage φ29 pRNA to Form a Hexameric Complex for Viral DNA Transportation journal July 1998
Stable RNA nanoparticles as potential new generation drugs for cancer therapy journal February 2014
Self-assembled RNA interference microsponges for efficient siRNA delivery journal February 2012
Self-assembled RNA-triple-helix hydrogel scaffold for microRNA modulation in the tumour microenvironment journal December 2015
Polyamidoamine dendrimer hydrogel for enhanced delivery of antiglaucoma drugs journal July 2012
Aptamers as therapeutics journal July 2010

Cited By (2)

Controlled Release of RNAi Molecules by Tunable Supramolecular Hydrogel Carriers journal June 2018
Immunostimulatory Effects Triggered by Self-Assembled Microspheres with Tandem Repeats of Polymerized RNA Strands journal January 2019