Peptide-DNA origami as a cryoprotectant for cell preservation

초록

Cryopreservation of cells is essential for the conservation and cold chain of bioproducts and cell-based medicines. Here, we demonstrate that self-assembled DNA origami nanostructures have a substantial ability to protect cells undergoing freeze-thaw cycles; thereby, they can be used as cryoprotectant agents, because their nanoscale mor-phology and ice-philicity are tailored. In particular, a single-layered DNA origami nanopatch functionalized with antifreezing threonine peptides enabled the viability of HSC-3 cells to reach 56% after 1 month of cryopreservation, surpassing dimethyl sulfoxide, which produced 38% viability. It also exhibited minimal dependence on the cryo-preservation period and freezing conditions. We attribute this outcome to the fact that the peptide-functionalized DNA nanopatches exert multisite actions for the retardation of ice growth in both intra-and extracellular regions and the protection of cell membranes during cryopreservation. This discovery is expected to deepen our funda-mental understanding of cell survival under freezing environment and affect current cryopreservation technologies.

키워드