Dynamic DNA Origami Devices: from Strand-Displacement Reactions to External-Stimuli Responsive Systems.

Heini Ijäs,Sami Nummelin,Mauri Kostiainen,Veikko Linko,Boxuan Shen

doi:10.3390/ijms19072114

Heini Ijäs, Sami Nummelin + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19072114

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Abstract

DNA nanotechnology provides an excellent foundation for diverse nanoscale structures that can be used in various bioapplications and materials research. Among all existing DNA assembly techniques, DNA origami proves to be the most robust one for creating custom nanoshapes. Since its invention in 2006, building from the bottom up using DNA advanced drastically, and therefore, more and more complex DNA-based systems became accessible. So far, the vast majority of the demonstrated DNA origami frameworks are static by nature; however, there also exist dynamic DNA origami devices that are increasingly coming into view. In this review, we discuss DNA origami nanostructures that exhibit controlled translational or rotational movement when triggered by predefined DNA sequences, various molecular interactions, and/or external stimuli such as light, pH, temperature, and electromagnetic fields. The rapid evolution of such dynamic DNA origami tools will undoubtedly have a significant impact on molecular-scale precision measurements, targeted drug delivery and diagnostics; however, they can also play a role in the development of optical/plasmonic sensors, nanophotonic devices, and nanorobotics for numerous different tasks.

Highlights

In his idiosyncratic talk “There’s plenty of room at the bottom” in 1959, Richard Feynman envisioned that it should be possible to build nanoscale machines that could carry out chemical synthesis through mechanical movement [1]
The vast majority of the demonstrated DNA origami frameworks are static by nature; there exist dynamic DNA origami devices that are increasingly coming into view
The rapid evolution of such dynamic DNA origami tools will undoubtedly have a significant impact on molecular-scale precision measurements, targeted drug delivery and diagnostics; they can play a role in the development of optical/plasmonic sensors, nanophotonic devices, and nanorobotics for numerous different tasks

Summary

Introduction

In his idiosyncratic talk “There’s plenty of room at the bottom” in 1959, Richard Feynman envisioned that it should be possible to build nanoscale machines that could carry out chemical synthesis through mechanical movement [1]. We discuss DNA origami nanostructures that can be used as dynamic and controllable nanodevices, such as walking robots [42], logic-gated nanopills [12], and rotors [43] (see Scheme 1) The development of such molecular machines is based on tailoring the DNA sequences in such a way that the structures firstly self-assemble into desired shapes, and are thereby able to perform predefined tasks via translational or rotational movement. Numerous studies exploited these aspects of DNA nanostructures [64]; for example, Zhou et al [65] designed and characterized a tunable DNA origami structure with a compliant part able to bend into different angles under the tension caused by ssDNAs with various lengths Later, they studied a four-bar bistable mechanical system with a designed energy landscape, and showed that the conformational dynamics of the device could be controlled via strand displacement [66]. It is likely, that a combination of DNA origami with proteins and lipids may find uses in developing dynamic nanomachines

DNA Origami Devices Triggered by External Stimuli or Multiple Interactions

Conclusions and Perspectives