Actuating tension-loaded DNA clamps drives membrane tubulation

Membrane dynamics in living organisms can arise from proteins adhering to, assembling on, and exerting force on cell membranes. Programmable synthetic materials, such as self-assembled DNA nanostructures, offer the capability to drive membrane-remodeling events that resemble protein-mediated dynamics but with user-defined outcomes. An illustrative example is the tubular deformation of liposomes by DNA nanostructures with purposely designed shapes, surface modifications, and self-assembling properties. However, stimulus-responsive membrane tubulation mediated by DNA reconfiguration remains challenging. Here, we present the triggered formation of membrane tubes in response to specific DNA signals that actuate membrane-bound DNA clamps from an open state to various predefined closed states, releasing prestored energy to activate membrane deformation. We show that the timing and efficiency of vesicle tubulation, as well as the membrane tube widths, are modulated by the conformational change of DNA clamps, marking a solid step toward spatiotemporal control of membrane dynamics in an artificial system.