We seek to assess the fidelity of hybridization of TORC-mer strands using a more constrained backbone, specifically considering phospho-deoxyribose backbones as in nucleic acids.
In this project we want to develop a method to polymerize short-chained TORC oligomers, using the TORC pair annealing to grow the polymer chain. This approach requires two TORC oligomers as monomers which are not perfect compliments of each other. Instead, using a pattern of TORC pairs that allows two TORC oligomer monomers to anneal in a slip-stack pattern would leave dangling TORC pairs still available to anneal with another monomer at the front and end of the polymer chain. Unless quenched, this type of polymer could grow indefinitely. Given the reversible nature of the TORC pair annealing, we could use this strategy to create a chemically recyclable polymer. In addition, once we have synthesized a TORC polymer, we are exploring strategies to stitch together the backbones of the TORC oligomers. In this way, we could synthesize long double-stranded polymers which can be disassociated into two separate, single-stranded polymers.