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Piantanida L, Liddle JA, Hughes WL, Majikes JM. DNA nanostructure decoration: a how-to tutorial. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2024; 35:273001. [PMID: 38373400 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ad2ac5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
DNA Nanotechnology is being applied to multiple research fields. The functionality of DNA nanostructures is significantly enhanced by decorating them with nanoscale moieties including: proteins, metallic nanoparticles, quantum dots, and chromophores. Decoration is a complex process and developing protocols for reliable attachment routinely requires extensive trial and error. Additionally, the granular nature of scientific communication makes it difficult to discern general principles in DNA nanostructure decoration. This tutorial is a guidebook designed to minimize experimental bottlenecks and avoid dead-ends for those wishing to decorate DNA nanostructures. We supplement the reference material on available technical tools and procedures with a conceptual framework required to make efficient and effective decisions in the lab. Together these resources should aid both the novice and the expert to develop and execute a rapid, reliable decoration protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Piantanida
- Faculty of Applied Science, School of Engineering, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, B.C., V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - J Alexander Liddle
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20878, United States of America
| | - William L Hughes
- Faculty of Applied Science, School of Engineering, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, B.C., V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Jacob M Majikes
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20878, United States of America
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Ratajczyk EJ, Šulc P, Turberfield AJ, Doye JPK, Louis AA. Coarse-grained modeling of DNA-RNA hybrids. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:115101. [PMID: 38497475 DOI: 10.1063/5.0199558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
We introduce oxNA, a new model for the simulation of DNA-RNA hybrids that is based on two previously developed coarse-grained models-oxDNA and oxRNA. The model naturally reproduces the physical properties of hybrid duplexes, including their structure, persistence length, and force-extension characteristics. By parameterizing the DNA-RNA hydrogen bonding interaction, we fit the model's thermodynamic properties to experimental data using both average-sequence and sequence-dependent parameters. To demonstrate the model's applicability, we provide three examples of its use-calculating the free energy profiles of hybrid strand displacement reactions, studying the resolution of a short R-loop, and simulating RNA-scaffolded wireframe origami.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eryk J Ratajczyk
- Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - Petr Šulc
- School of Molecular Sciences and Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 South McAllister Avenue, Tempe, Arizona 85281, USA
- School of Natural Sciences, Department of Bioscience, Technical University Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Andrew J Turberfield
- Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan P K Doye
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom
| | - Ard A Louis
- Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, 1 Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3NP, United Kingdom
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DeLuca M, Sensale S, Lin PA, Arya G. Prediction and Control in DNA Nanotechnology. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2024; 7:626-645. [PMID: 36880799 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.2c01045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
DNA nanotechnology is a rapidly developing field that uses DNA as a building material for nanoscale structures. Key to the field's development has been the ability to accurately describe the behavior of DNA nanostructures using simulations and other modeling techniques. In this Review, we present various aspects of prediction and control in DNA nanotechnology, including the various scales of molecular simulation, statistical mechanics, kinetic modeling, continuum mechanics, and other prediction methods. We also address the current uses of artificial intelligence and machine learning in DNA nanotechnology. We discuss how experiments and modeling are synergistically combined to provide control over device behavior, allowing scientists to design molecular structures and dynamic devices with confidence that they will function as intended. Finally, we identify processes and scenarios where DNA nanotechnology lacks sufficient prediction ability and suggest possible solutions to these weak areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcello DeLuca
- Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Sebastian Sensale
- Department of Physics, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, United States
| | - Po-An Lin
- Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Gaurav Arya
- Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
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Pfeifer WG, Huang CM, Poirier MG, Arya G, Castro CE. Versatile computer-aided design of free-form DNA nanostructures and assemblies. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi0697. [PMID: 37494445 PMCID: PMC10371015 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi0697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in structural DNA nanotechnology have been facilitated by design tools that continue to push the limits of structural complexity while simplifying an often-tedious design process. We recently introduced the software MagicDNA, which enables design of complex 3D DNA assemblies with many components; however, the design of structures with free-form features like vertices or curvature still required iterative design guided by simulation feedback and user intuition. Here, we present an updated design tool, MagicDNA 2.0, that automates the design of free-form 3D geometries, leveraging design models informed by coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. Our GUI-based, stepwise design approach integrates a high level of automation with versatile control over assembly and subcomponent design parameters. We experimentally validated this approach by fabricating a range of DNA origami assemblies with complex free-form geometries, including a 3D Nozzle, G-clef, and Hilbert and Trifolium curves, confirming excellent agreement between design input, simulation, and structure formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang G. Pfeifer
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Department of Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Chao-Min Huang
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Michael G. Poirier
- Department of Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Interdisciplinary Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Gaurav Arya
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Carlos E. Castro
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Interdisciplinary Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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Büchl A, Kopperger E, Vogt M, Langecker M, Simmel FC, List J. Energy landscapes of rotary DNA origami devices determined by fluorescence particle tracking. Biophys J 2022; 121:4849-4859. [PMID: 36071662 PMCID: PMC9808541 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.08.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Biomolecular nanomechanical devices are of great interest as tools for the processing and manipulation of molecules, thereby mimicking the function of nature's enzymes. DNA nanotechnology provides the capability to build molecular analogs of mechanical machine elements such as joints and hinges via sequence-programmable self-assembly, which are otherwise known from traditional mechanical engineering. Relative to their size, these molecular machine elements typically do not reach the same relative precision and reproducibility that we know from their macroscopic counterparts; however, as they are scaled down to molecular sizes, physical effects typically not considered by mechanical engineers such as Brownian motion, intramolecular forces, and the molecular roughness of the devices begin to dominate their behavior. In order to investigate the effect of different design choices on the roughness of the mechanical energy landscapes of DNA nanodevices in greater detail, we here study an exemplary DNA origami-based structure, a modularly designed rotor-stator arrangement, which resembles a rotatable nanorobotic arm. Using fluorescence tracking microscopy, we follow the motion of individual rotors and record their corresponding energy landscapes. We then utilize the modular construction of the device to exchange its constituent parts individually and systematically test the effect of different design variants on the movement patterns. This allows us to identify the design parameters that most strongly affect the shape of the energy landscapes of the systems. Taking into account these insights, we are able to create devices with significantly flatter energy landscapes, which translates to mechanical nanodevices with improved performance and behaviors more closely resembling those of their macroscopic counterparts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Büchl
- Physics Department E14, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | - Enzo Kopperger
- Physics Department E14, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | - Matthias Vogt
- Physics Department E14, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | - Martin Langecker
- Physics Department E14, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | - Friedrich C Simmel
- Physics Department E14, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany.
| | - Jonathan List
- Physics Department E14, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany.
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The Free-Energy Landscape of a Mechanically Bistable DNA Origami. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/app12125875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Molecular simulations using coarse-grained models allow the structure, dynamics and mechanics of DNA origamis to be comprehensively characterized. Here, we focus on the free-energy landscape of a jointed DNA origami that has been designed to exhibit two mechanically stable states and for which a bistable landscape has been inferred from ensembles of structures visualized by electron microscopy. Surprisingly, simulations using the oxDNA model predict that the defect-free origami has a single free-energy minimum. The expected second state is not stable because the hinge joints do not simply allow free angular motion but instead lead to increasing free-energetic penalties as the joint angles relevant to the second state are approached. This raises interesting questions about the cause of this difference between simulations and experiment, such as how assembly defects might affect the ensemble of structures observed experimentally.
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