Advance could speed use of genetic material RNA in nanotechnology

[Guest guest]

Advance could speed use of genetic material RNA in nanotechnology

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-01/acs-acs011911.php

Scientists are reporting an advance in overcoming a major barrier to the use of

the genetic material RNA in nanotechnology — the field that involves building

machines thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair and now is

dominated by its cousin, DNA. Their findings, which could speed the use of RNA

nanotechnology for treating disease, appear in the monthly journal ACS Nano.

Peixuan Guo and colleagues point out that DNA, the double-stranded genetic

blueprint of life, and RNA, its single-stranded cousin, share common chemical

features that can serve as building blocks for making nanostructures and

nanodevices. In some ways, RNA even has advantages over DNA. The field of DNA

nanotechnology is already well-established, they note. The decade-old field of

RNA nanotechnology shows great promise, with potential applications in the

treatment of cancer, viral, and genetic diseases. However, the chemical

instability of RNA and its tendency to breakdown in the presence of enzymes have

slowed progress in the field.

The scientists describe development of a highly stable RNA nanoparticle. They

tested its ability to power the nano-sized biological motor of a certain

bacteriophage — a virus that infects bacteria — that operates using molecules of

RNA. The modified RNA showed excellent biological activity similar, even in the

presence of high concentrations of enzymes that normally breakdown RNA. The

finding show that " it is practical to produce RNase (an enzyme that degrades

RNA) resistant, biologically active, and stable RNA for application in

nanotechnology, " the article notes.