Programmable cell adhesion encoded by DNA hybridization

ORGN 374

Ravi A. Chandra, ravic@berkeley.edu1, Erik S. Douglas2, Richard A. Mathies, rich@zinc.cchem.berkeley.edu3, Carolyn R. Bertozzi, crb@berkeley.edu4, and Matthew B. Francis, francis@cchem.berkeley.edu1. (1) Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, 739 Latimer Hall, #1460, Berkeley, CA 94709, (2) UCB/UCSF Joint Graduate Group in Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, 318 Lewis Hall, #1460, Berkeley, CA 94709, (3) Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, (4) Departments of Chemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1460
The means by which living cells attach to specific locations is a key consideration for tissue engineering, the construction of cell-based devices, and the understanding of cancer metastasis. However, these interactions are difficult to control in a general fashion. Here I will report a programmable cell adhesion strategy that is mediated by DNA hybridization. Using a combination of metabolic engineering and chemospecific bioconjugation, synthetic DNA strands were introduced onto the surfaces of living cells. These DNA-coated cells were found to bind surfaces bearing cognate DNA sequences with high specificity. This strategy has been demonstrated for a number of naturally adherent and non-adherent cell lines, and is generalizable for a variety of device platforms. It is envisioned that this approach will provide a highly efficient means for the self-assembly of complex multicellular arrays.

 

Molecular Recognition and Self-Assembly
8:00 AM-12:00 PM, Tuesday, 12 September 2006 Moscone Center -- Room 132, Oral

Division of Organic Chemistry

The 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 10-14, 2006