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Related Concept Videos

Protein Organization01:13

Protein Organization

Overview
Protein Organization01:13

Protein Organization

Overview
Protein Complex Assembly02:41

Protein Complex Assembly

Proteins can form homomeric complexes with another unit of the same protein or heteromeric complexes with different types.  Most protein complexes self-assemble spontaneously via ordered pathways, while some proteins need assembly factors that guide their proper assembly. Despite the crowded intracellular environment, proteins usually interact with their correct partners and form functional complexes.
Many viruses self-assemble into a fully functional unit using the infected host cell to...
Protein Organization01:24

Protein Organization

Proteins are polymers of amino acid residues. They are versatile and responsible for different cellular functions, including DNA replication, molecular transport, catalysis, and structural support. Proteins have a hierarchical structure comprising at least three levels of organization: primary, secondary, and tertiary structure. Some large proteins have a quaternary structure where individual protein subunits are linked together.
The primary structure of a protein is its amino acid sequence.
Protein Complex Assembly02:41

Protein Complex Assembly

Proteins can form homomeric complexes with another unit of the same protein or heteromeric complexes with different types.  Most protein complexes self-assemble spontaneously via ordered pathways, while some proteins need assembly factors that guide their proper assembly. Despite the crowded intracellular environment, proteins usually interact with their correct partners and form functional complexes.
Many viruses self-assemble into a fully functional unit using the infected host cell to...
Protein Organization01:24

Protein Organization

Proteins are polymers of amino acid residues. They are versatile and responsible for different cellular functions, including DNA replication, molecular transport, catalysis, and structural support. Proteins have a hierarchical structure comprising at least three levels of organization: primary, secondary, and tertiary structure. Some large proteins have a quaternary structure where individual protein subunits are linked together.
The primary structure of a protein is its amino acid sequence.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Formation of Ordered Biomolecular Structures by the Self-assembly of Short Peptides
07:26

Formation of Ordered Biomolecular Structures by the Self-assembly of Short Peptides

Published on: November 21, 2013

Programming biomolecular self-assembly pathways.

Peng Yin1, Harry M T Choi, Colby R Calvert

  • 1Department of Bioengineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA.

Nature
|January 19, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Scientists engineered DNA molecules to perform dynamic functions, like self-assembly and locomotion, by programming reaction pathways. This advances synthetic biology for autonomous molecular systems.

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Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Formation of Ordered Biomolecular Structures by the Self-assembly of Short Peptides
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Published on: November 21, 2013

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Synthesis of Information-bearing Peptoids and their Sequence-directed Dynamic Covalent Self-assembly
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Synthesis of Information-bearing Peptoids and their Sequence-directed Dynamic Covalent Self-assembly

Published on: February 6, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Synthetic Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Engineering

Background:

  • Nature utilizes self-assembling protein-nucleic acid complexes for dynamic functions.
  • Synthetic approaches have primarily focused on stable structures, not transient dynamics.
  • Encoding reaction pathways into biopolymers is key for autonomous dynamic systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To program diverse molecular self-assembly and disassembly pathways.
  • To engineer synthetic systems capable of dynamic functions without intervention.
  • To explore nucleic acids as a versatile design medium for molecular programming.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a 'reaction graph' abstraction to define DNA domain complementarity.
  • Employed a versatile DNA hairpin motif for programming pathways.
  • Executed molecular programs for various dynamic functions.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated catalytic formation of branched DNA junctions.
  • Achieved autocatalytic duplex formation via a cross-catalytic circuit.
  • Showcased nucleated dendritic growth and autonomous molecular walker locomotion.

Conclusions:

  • DNA can be programmed to execute complex self-assembly and disassembly pathways.
  • The 'reaction graph' approach enables the design of dynamic molecular systems.
  • This work lays the foundation for creating autonomous, functional synthetic biomolecular systems.