DNA origami
Encyclopedia
DNA origami is the nanoscale folding of DNA
to create arbitrary two and three dimensional shapes at the nanoscale. The specificity of the interactions between complementary base pairs
make DNA a useful construction material through design of its base sequences. Developed by Paul Rothemund at the California Institute of Technology
, the process involves the folding of a long single strand of viral
DNA
aided by multiple smaller "staple" strands. These shorter strands bind the longer in various places, resulting in various shapes including a smiley face and a coarse map
of China
and the Americas
, along with many three dimensional structures such as cubes.
To produce a desired shape, images are drawn with a raster fill
of a single long DNA molecule
. This design is then fed into a computer program which calculates the placement of individual staple strands. Each staple binds to a specific region of the DNA template, and thus due to Watson-Crick base pairing the necessary sequences of all staple strands are known and displayed. The DNA is mixed and then heated and cooled. As the DNA cools the various staples pull the long strand into the desired shape. Designs are directly observable via several methods including atomic force microscopy, or fluorescence microscopy when DNA is coupled to fluorescent materials .
Bottom-up self assembly methods are considered promising alternatives that offer cheap, parallel synthesis of nanostructures under relatively mild conditions. Many potential applications have been suggested in the literature, including enzyme immobilization, drug carry capsules, and nanotechnological self-assembly of materials. Though DNA is not the natural choice for building active structures for nanorobotic applications due to its lack of structural and catalytic versatility, several papers have examined the possibility of molecular walkers on origami and switches for algorithmic computing. DNA origami was the cover story of Nature
on March 16, 2006.
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
to create arbitrary two and three dimensional shapes at the nanoscale. The specificity of the interactions between complementary base pairs
Complementarity (molecular biology)
In molecular biology, complementarity is a property of double-stranded nucleic acids such as DNA, as well as DNA:RNA duplexes. Each strand is complementary to the other in that the base pairs between them are non-covalently connected via two or three hydrogen bonds...
make DNA a useful construction material through design of its base sequences. Developed by Paul Rothemund at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, the process involves the folding of a long single strand of viral
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
aided by multiple smaller "staple" strands. These shorter strands bind the longer in various places, resulting in various shapes including a smiley face and a coarse map
Map
A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....
of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, along with many three dimensional structures such as cubes.
To produce a desired shape, images are drawn with a raster fill
Raster graphics
In computer graphics, a raster graphics image, or bitmap, is a data structure representing a generally rectangular grid of pixels, or points of color, viewable via a monitor, paper, or other display medium...
of a single long DNA molecule
Molecule
A molecule is an electrically neutral group of at least two atoms held together by covalent chemical bonds. Molecules are distinguished from ions by their electrical charge...
. This design is then fed into a computer program which calculates the placement of individual staple strands. Each staple binds to a specific region of the DNA template, and thus due to Watson-Crick base pairing the necessary sequences of all staple strands are known and displayed. The DNA is mixed and then heated and cooled. As the DNA cools the various staples pull the long strand into the desired shape. Designs are directly observable via several methods including atomic force microscopy, or fluorescence microscopy when DNA is coupled to fluorescent materials .
Bottom-up self assembly methods are considered promising alternatives that offer cheap, parallel synthesis of nanostructures under relatively mild conditions. Many potential applications have been suggested in the literature, including enzyme immobilization, drug carry capsules, and nanotechnological self-assembly of materials. Though DNA is not the natural choice for building active structures for nanorobotic applications due to its lack of structural and catalytic versatility, several papers have examined the possibility of molecular walkers on origami and switches for algorithmic computing. DNA origami was the cover story of Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
on March 16, 2006.