Multivalent weak interactions enhance selectivity of interparticle binding.

M R W Scheepers, L J van IJzendoorn, M W J Prins

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2020 Sep 15

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Targeted drug delivery critically depends on the binding selectivity of cargo-transporting colloidal particles. Extensive theoretical work has shown that two factors are necessary to achieve high selectivity for a threshold receptor density: multivalency and weak interactions. Here, we study a model system of DNA-coated particles with multivalent and weak interactions that mimics ligand-receptor interactions between particles and cells. Using an optomagnetic cluster experiment, particle aggregation rates are measured as a function of ligand and receptor densities. The measured aggregation rates show that the binding becomes more selective for shorter DNA ligand-receptor pairs, proving that multivalent weak interactions lead to enhanced selectivity in interparticle binding. Simulations confirm the experimental findings and show the role of ligand-receptor dissociation in the selectivity of the weak multivalent binding. Copyright © 2020 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Citation

M R W Scheepers, L J van IJzendoorn, M W J Prins. Multivalent weak interactions enhance selectivity of interparticle binding. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2020 Sep 15;117(37):22690-22697