Rapid chiral assembly of rigid DNA building blocks for molecular nanofabrication

Science. 2005 Dec 9;310(5754):1661-5. doi: 10.1126/science.1120367.

Abstract

Practical components for three-dimensional molecular nanofabrication must be simple to produce, stereopure, rigid, and adaptable. We report a family of DNA tetrahedra, less than 10 nanometers on a side, that can self-assemble in seconds with near-quantitative yield of one diastereomer. They can be connected by programmable DNA linkers. Their triangulated architecture confers structural stability; by compressing a DNA tetrahedron with an atomic force microscope, we have measured the axial compressibility of DNA and observed the buckling of the double helix under high loads.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Base Pairing
  • Base Sequence
  • Chemical Phenomena
  • Chemistry, Physical
  • DNA / chemistry*
  • Dimerization
  • Elasticity
  • Microscopy, Atomic Force
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Structure
  • Nanostructures*
  • Nanotechnology*
  • Nucleic Acid Conformation
  • Nucleic Acid Hybridization
  • Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / chemistry
  • Stereoisomerism

Substances

  • Oligodeoxyribonucleotides
  • DNA