Multi-micron crisscross structures grown from DNA-origami slats

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Synthetic Biology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Living systems exhibit robust self-assembly across diverse length scales.
• DNA origami enables submicron-scale shape fabrication from single-stranded DNA components.
• Hierarchical assembly of DNA origami is limited by linkage errors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extend crisscross polymerization to DNA origami slats.
• To enable fabrication of custom multi-micron shapes with nanoscale surface patterning.
• To overcome limitations in combining unique DNA origami structures.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a library of approximately 2,000 combinatorially arranged DNA strands.
• Created unique DNA origami 'slats' for hierarchical assembly.
• Employed controlled initiation, rapid growth, and orthogonal binding for robust polymerization.

Main Results:

• Fabricated finite structures from over 1,000 uniquely addressable DNA origami slats.
• Achieved structures with mass exceeding 5 GDa and lateral dimensions of approximately 2 µm.
• Demonstrated the creation of intricate periodic structures with nanoscale precision.

Conclusions:

• Crisscross polymerization of DNA origami slats enables the creation of large, complex structures.
• This method allows for prototyping and scalable production of sophisticated, molecularly precise assemblies.
• Facilitates integration of thousands of unique components into single, custom-designed constructs.