Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Dynamic DNA nanotechnology creates programmable reaction networks and nanodevices by using DNA strands. The key reaction in dynamic DNA nanotechnology is the exchange of DNA strands between different molecular species, achieved through three- and four-way strand exchange reactions. While both reactions have been widely used, the four-way exchange reaction has traditionally been slower and less efficient than the three-way reaction. In this paper, we describe a new mechanism to optimize the kinetics of the four-way strand exchange reaction by adding bulges to the toeholds of the four-way DNA complexes involved in the reaction. These bulges facilitate an alternative branch migration mechanism and destabilize the four-way DNA junction, increasing the four-way strand exchange rate by an order of magnitude. This advancement has the potential to expand the field of dynamic DNA nanotechnology by enabling efficient four-way strand exchange reactions for in vivo applications.
Source: Nano Letters
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
Awards: G150208277, G1893281924, G2650702889, G3391188831, Genetically Encoded Nucleic Acid Control Architectures, Bioinspired Multiplexed Ultrasensitive Biosensing, EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in BioDesign Engineering, G8174349211, Japan_IPAP: High-Throughput Prototyping of Heterogeneity in genetic networks using Artificial Cells with femtolitre volume (HT-PHAC)
OpenAlex ID: W4413977315