Aptamer-functionalized DNA nanosphere as a stimuli-responsive nanocarrier

Smart nanocarriers that can respond to specific signals have recently gained attention in clinical research. Through the scaffolded DNA origami technique, we developed an aptamer-functionalized DNA nanosphere that could change its conformation upon binding to cancer-specific Mucin 1 protein (MUC1). A MUC1 aptamer was added into the lock-and-key system of the DNA nanosphere, and specific binding of the aptamer and MUC1 triggered the opening of the structure. A decrease in FRET signals demonstrated that the DNA nanosphere underwent structural change to the open conformation in response to the MUC1-containing cell lysate. Gold nanoparticles were also successfully encapsulated inside the cavity, implicating its loading ability. Our data confirmed that the aptamer-modified DNA nanosphere has proved to be a responsive nanocarrier and may serve as a promising candidate for cancer theranostic purposes.