Abstract
Controlling biological molecular processes with light is of interest in biological research and biomedicine, as light allows precise and selective activation in a non-invasive and non-toxic manner. A molecular process benefitting from light control is the transport of cargo across biological membranes, which is conventionally achieved by membrane-puncturing barrel-shaped nanopores. Yet, there is also considerable gain in constructing more complex gated pores. Here, we pioneer a synthetic light-gated nanostructure which regulates transport across membranes via a controllable lid. The light-triggered nanopore is self-assembled from six pore-forming DNA strands and a lid strand carrying light-switchable azobenzene molecules. Exposure to light opens the pore to allow small-molecule transport across membranes. Our light-triggered pore advances biomimetic chemistry and DNA nanotechnology and may be used in biotechnology, biosensing, targeted drug release, or synthetic cells.
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