Protocol for the synthesis and activation of hydrogels with photocaged oligonucleotides

Danielle Herubin; Amanda Yang; Saanvi Gaddam; Katelyn Mathis; Brian Meckes

doi:10.1016/j.xpro.2024.103502

Protocol for the synthesis and activation of hydrogels with photocaged oligonucleotides

STAR Protoc. 2024 Dec 17;6(1):103502. doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2024.103502. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Danielle Herubin¹, Amanda Yang², Saanvi Gaddam², Katelyn Mathis³, Brian Meckes⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76207, USA; Biodiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76205, USA.
² Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76207, USA; Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76205, USA.
³ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76207, USA; Biodiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76205, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76207, USA; Biodiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76205, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39693222
DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2024.103502

Abstract

Hydrogels with spatial-temporal control over chemical and physical properties allow for the creation of cellular niches with controllable properties that better mimic tissue environments. Here, we present a protocol for synthesizing hydrogels incorporating photocaged oligonucleotides that can be activated with non-ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths. We detail the synthesis of bulk hydrogels and spatially defined hydrogels with different chemical functionalities that all share common photocaged DNA. Furthermore, we describe conditions for activating photocaged DNA to capture complementary oligonucleotides. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Mathis et al.¹.

Keywords: Biotechnology and bioengineering; Chemistry; Material sciences; Tissue Engineering.