We present a strategy to design and construct self-assembling DNA nanostructures that define intricate curved surfaces in three-dimensional (3D) space using the DNA origami folding technique. Double-helical DNA is bent to follow the rounded contours of the target object, and potential strand crossovers are subsequently identified. Concentric rings of DNA are used to generate in-plane curvature, constrained to 2D by rationally designed geometries and crossover networks. Out-of-plane curvature is introduced by adjusting the particular position and pattern of crossovers between adjacent DNA double helices, whose conformation often deviates from the natural, B-form twist density. A series of DNA nanostructures with high curvature--such as 2D arrangements of concentric rings and 3D spherical shells, ellipsoidal shells, and a nanoflask--were assembled.
Topology is the mathematical study of the spatial properties that are preserved through the deformation, twisting and stretching of objects. Topological architectures are common in nature and can be seen, for example, in DNA molecules that condense and relax during cellular events 1 . Synthetic topological nanostructures, such as catenanes and rotaxanes, have been engineered using supramolecular chemistry, but the fabrication of complex and reconfigurable structures remains challenging 2 . Here, we show that DNA origami 3 can be used to assemble a Möbius strip, a topological ribbon-like structure that has only one side [4][5][6] . In addition, we show that the DNA Möbius strip can be reconfigured through strand displacement 7 to create topological objects such as supercoiled ring and catenane structures. This DNA fold-and-cut strategy, analogous to Japanese kirigami 8 , may be used to create and reconfigure programmable topological structures that are unprecedented in molecular engineering.Structural DNA nanotechnology 9 , which makes use of DNA as an information-coding polymer capable of programming nano-structure assembly, has proven its utility in creating sophisticated nanoscale geometrical objects [10][11][12][13][14][15][16] . The recent development of DNA origami 3 , a method that uses short DNA oligos as staples to fold single-stranded genomic DNA scaffolds into geometrically defined two-( ref.3 ) and three-dimensional nanoarchitectures [17][18][19][20][21] , has opened up great opportunities for directed assembly of chemical and biomolecular species with exquisite positional control [22][23][24][25][26] .Engineering topologically complex molecular architectures represents an appealing challenge for chemists and materials scientists, because structures such as catenanes, rotaxanes and knots often display unique material properties 2 . Topological structures have been successfully generated through organic and supramolecular synthesis 27,28 . Earlier works from Seeman and colleagues have exploited enzymatic ligation of simple, branched DNA junctions to create configurations such as various knots 29 and a Borromean ring structure 30 , which were predicated on the relationships between topological crossing points and half-turns within B-DNA or Z-DNA. However, progress using DNA to achieve Here, we demonstrate a DNA origami technique that can be used to create sub-100-nm topological architectures that are reconfigurable. We chose the Möbius strip as our demonstration target, not only because it is artistically inspiring, but also because it will likely display unique material properties 4,5 that may be applied to create novel molecular devices 6 . The Möbius strip has several interesting characteristics. Topologically speaking, it is a surface with only one side and only one boundary. A model can be easily created by taking a paper strip and giving it a half-twist, and then joining the ends of the strip together to form a loop. Cutting along the centre line of the loop destroys a Möbius strip, yieldi...
Engineering wireframe architectures and scaffolds of increasing complexity is one of the important challenges in nanotechnology. We present a design strategy to create gridiron-like DNA structures. A series of four-arm junctions are used as vertices within a network of double-helical DNA fragments. Deliberate distortion of the junctions from their most relaxed conformations ensures that a scaffold strand can traverse through individual vertices in multiple directions. DNA gridirons were assembled, ranging from two-dimensional arrays with reconfigurability to multilayer and three-dimensional structures and curved objects.
Programmable positioning of one-dimensional (1D) gold nanorods (AuNRs) was achieved by DNA directed self-assembly. AuNR dimer structures with various predetermined inter-rod angles and relative distances were constructed with high efficiency. These discrete anisotropic metallic nanostructures exhibit unique plasmonic properties, as measured experimentally and simulated by the discrete dipole approximation method.
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