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Expanding
on previous work with engines traveling on straight tracks, a team of
researchers at Kyoto University and the University of Oxford have
successfully used DNA building blocks to construct a motor capable of
navigating a programmable network of tracks with multiple switches. The
findings, published in the Jan. 22 online edition of the journal Nature
Nanotechnology, are expected to lead to further developments in the
field of nanoengineering.
The
research utilizes the technology of DNA origami, where strands of DNA
molecules are sequenced in a way that will cause them to self-assemble
into desired 2D and even 3D structures. In this latest effort, the
scientists built a network of tracks and switches atop DNA origami
tiles, which made it possible for motor molecules to travel along these
rail systems.
DNA Rail System
“We
have demonstrated that it is not only possible to build nanoscale
devices that function autonomously,” explained Dr. Masayuki Endo of
Kyoto University’s Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences
(iCeMS), “but that we can cause such devices to produce predictable
outputs based on different, controllable starting conditions.”
The
team, including lead author Dr. Shelley Wickham at Oxford, expects that
the work may lead to the development of even more complex systems, such
as programmable molecular assembly lines and sophisticated sensors.
“We
are really still at an early stage in designing DNA origami-based
engineering systems,” elaborated iCeMS Prof. Hiroshi Sugiyama. “The
promise is great, but at the same time there are still many technical
hurdles to overcome in order to improve the quality of the output. This
is just the beginning for this new and exciting field.”
A DNA-based molecular motor that can navigate a network of tracks
