Synthetic Polymer Hybridization with DNA and RNA Directs Nanoparticle Loading, Silencing Delivery, and Aptamer Function

We report herein discrete triplex hybridization of DNA and RNA with polyacrylates. Length-monodisperse triazine-derivatized polymers were prepared on gram-scale by reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization. Despite stereoregio backbone heterogeneity, the triazine polymers bind T/U-rich DNA or RNA with nanomolar affinity upon mixing in a 1:1 ratio, as judged by thermal melts, circular dichroism; gel-shift assays, and fluorescence quenching. We call these polyacrylates bifacial polymer nucleic acids (bP(o)NAs). Nucleic acid hybridization with bP(o)NA enables DNA loading onto polymer nanoparticles, siRNA silencing delivery, and can further serve as an allosteric trigger of RNA aptamer function. Thus, bP(o)NAs can serve as tools for both non-covalent bioconjugation and structure-function nucleation. It is anticipated that bP(o)NAs will have utility in both bio- and nanotechnology.