Single-molecule positioning in zeromode waveguides by DNA origami nanoadapters

Nanotechnology is challenged by the need to connect top-down produced nanostructures with the bottom-up world of chemistry. A nanobiotechnological prime example is the positioning of single polymerase molecules in small holes in metal films, so-called zeromode waveguides (ZMWs), which is required for single-molecule real-time DNA sequencing. In this work, we present nanoadapters made of DNA (DNA origami) that match the size of the holes so that exactly one nanoadapter fits in each hole. By site-selective functionalization of the DNA origami nanoadapters, we placed single dye molecules in the ZMWs, thus optimizing the hole usage and improving the photophysical properties of dyes compared to stochastically immobilized molecules.