Ruojie Sha

From molecular to macroscopic via the rational design of a self-assembled 3D DNA crystal

We live in a macroscopic three-dimensional (3D) world, but our best description of the structure of matter is at the atomic and molecular scale. Understanding the relationship between the two scales requires a bridge from the molecular world to the macroscopic world. Connecting these two domains with atomic precision is a central goal of the natural sciences, but it requires high spatial control of the 3D structure of matter. The simplest practical route to producing precisely designed 3D macroscopic objects is to form a crystalline arrangement by self-assembly, because such a periodic array has only conceptually simple requirements: a motif that has a robust 3D structure, dominant affinity interactions between parts of the motif when it self-associates, and predictable structures for these affinity interactions. Fulfilling these three criteria to produce a 3D periodic system is not easy, but should readily be achieved with well-structured branched DNA motifs tailed by sticky ends. Complementary sticky ends associate with each other preferentially and assume the well-known B-DNA structure when they do so; the helically repeating nature of DNA facilitates the construction of a periodic array. It is essential that the directions of propagation associated with the sticky ends do not share the same plane, but extend to form a 3D arrangement of matter. Here we report the crystal structure at 4 Å resolution of a designed, self-assembled, 3D crystal based on the DNA tensegrity triangle. The data demonstrate clearly that it is possible to design and self-assemble a well-ordered macromolecular 3D crystalline lattice with precise control.

A Bipedal DNA Brownian Motor with Coordinated Legs

A substantial challenge in engineering molecular motors is designing mechanisms to coordinate the motion between multiple domains of the motor so as to bias random thermal motion. For bipedal motors, this challenge takes the form of coordinating the movement of the bipeds legs so that they can move in a synchronized fashion. To address this problem, we have constructed an autonomous DNA bipedal walker that coordinates the action of its two legs by cyclically catalyzing the hybridization of metastable DNA fuel strands. This process leads to a chemically ratcheted walk along a directionally polar DNA track. By covalently cross-linking aliquots of the walker to its track in successive walking states, we demonstrate that this Brownian motor can complete a full walking cycle on a track whose length could be extended for longer walks. We believe that this study helps to uncover principles behind the design of unidirectional devices that can function without intervention. This device should be able to fulfill roles that entail the performance of useful mechanical work on the nanometer scale.

The Label-Free Unambiguous Detection and Symbolic Display of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms on DNA Origami

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most common genetic variation in the human genome. Kinetic methods based on branch migration have proved successful for detecting SNPs because a mispair inhibits the progress of branch migration in the direction of the mispair. We have combined the effectiveness of kinetic methods with atomic force microscopy of DNA origami patterns to produce a direct visual readout of the target nucleotide contained in the probe sequence. The origami contains graphical representations of the four nucleotide alphabetic characters, A, T, G and C, and the symbol containing the test nucleotide identity vanishes in the presence of the probe. The system also works with pairs of probes, corresponding to heterozygous diploid genomes.

Self-replication of information-bearing nanoscale patterns

DNA molecules provide what is probably the most iconic example of self-replication—the ability of a system to replicate, or make copies of, itself. In living cells the process is mediated by enzymes and occurs autonomously, with the number of replicas increasing exponentially over time without the need for external manipulation. Self-replication has also been implemented with synthetic systems, including RNA enzymes designed to undergo self-sustained exponential amplification. An exciting next step would be to use self-replication in materials fabrication, which requires robust and general systems capable of copying and amplifying functional materials or structures. Here we report a first development in this direction, using DNA tile motifs that can recognize and bind complementary tiles in a pre-programmed fashion. We first design tile motifs so they form a seven-tile seed sequence; then use the seeds to instruct the formation of a first generation of complementary seven-tile daughter sequences; and finally use the daughters to instruct the formation of seven-tile granddaughter sequences that are identical to the initial seed sequences. Considering that DNA is a functional material that can organize itself and other molecules into useful structures, our findings raise the tantalizing prospect that we may one day be able to realize self-replicating materials with various patterns or useful functions.

New motifs in DNA nanotechnology

Recently, we have invested a great deal of effort to construct molecular building blocks from unusual DNA motifs. DNA is an extremely favorable construction medium. The sticky-ended association of DNA molecules occurs with high specificity, and it results in the formation of B-DNA, whose structure is well known. The use of stable-branched DNA molecules permits one to make stick-figures. We have used this strategy to construct a covalently closed DNA molecule whose helix axes have the connectivity of a cube, and a second molecule, whose helix axes have the connectivity of a truncated octahedron. In addition to branching topology, DNA also yields control of linking topology, because double helical half-turns of B-DNA or Z-DNA can be equated, respectively, with negative or positive crossings in topological objects. Consequently, we have been able to use DNA to make trefoil knots of both signs and figure of 8 knots. By making RNA knots, we have discovered the existence of an RNA topoisomerase. DNA-based topological control has also led to the construction of Borromean rings, which could be used in DNA-based computing applications. The key feature previously lacking in DNA construction has been a rigid molecule. We have discovered that DNA double crossover molecules can provide this capability. We have incorporated these components in DNA assemblies that use this rigidity to achieve control on the geometrical level, as well as on the topological level. Some of these involve double crossover molecules, and others involve double crossovers associated with geometrical figures, such as triangles and deltahedra.

A DNA-based nanomechanical device with three robust states.

DNA has been used to build a variety of devices, ranging from those that are controlled by DNA structural transitions to those that are controlled by the addition of specific DNA strands. These sequence-dependent devices fulfill the promise of DNA in nanotechnology because a variety of devices in the same physical environment can be controlled individually. Many such devices have been reported, but most of them contain one or two structurally robust end states, in addition to a floppy intermediate or even a floppy end state. We describe a system in which three different structurally robust end states can be obtained, all resulting from the addition of different set strands to a single floppy intermediate. This system is an extension of the PX-JX2 DNA device. The three states are related to each other by three different motions, a twofold rotation, a translation of ≈2.1–2.5 nm, and a twofold screw rotation, which combines these two motions. We demonstrate the transitions by gel electrophoresis, by fluorescence resonance energy transfer, and by atomic force microscopy. The control of this system by DNA strands opens the door to trinary logic and to systems containing N devices that are able to attain 3N structural states.

A DNA crystal designed to contain two molecules per asymmetric unit.

We describe the self-assembly of a DNA crystal that contains two tensegrity triangle molecules per asymmetric unit. We have used X-ray crystallography to determine its crystal structure. In addition, we have demonstrated control over the colors of the crystals by attaching either Cy3 dye (pink) or Cy5 dye (blue-green) to the components of the crystal, yielding crystals of corresponding colors. Attaching the pair of dyes to the pair of molecules yields a purple crystal.

Amyloid fibrils nucleated and organized by DNA origami constructions

Amyloid fibrils are ordered, insoluble protein aggregates that are associated with neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease1. The fibrils have a common rod-like core structure, formed from an elongated stack of β-strands, and have a rigidity similar to silk (Young’s modulus of 0.2-14 Gpa)2. They also exhibit high thermal and chemical stability3, and can be assembled in vitro from short synthetic non-disease-related peptides4,5. As a result, they are of significant interest in the development of self-assembled materials for bionanotechnology applications6. Synthetic DNA molecules have previously been used to form intricate structures and organize other materials such as metal nanoparticles7,8, and could in principle be used to nucleate and organize amyloid fibrils. Here we show that DNA origami nanotubes can sheathe amyloid fibrils formed within them. The fibrils are built by modifying the synthetic peptide fragment corresponding to residues 105-115 of the amyloidogenic protein transthyretin (TTR)9, and a DNA origami10 construct is used to form 20-helix DNA nanotubes with sufficient space for the fibrils inside. Once formed, the fibril-filled nanotubes can be organized onto predefined two-dimensional platforms via DNA-DNA hybridization interactions.

Functionalizing Designer DNA Crystals with a Triple-Helical Veneer†

DNA is a very useful molecule for the programmed self-assembly of 2D and 3D nanoscale objects.[1] The design of these structures exploits Watson–Crick hybridization and strand exchange to stitch linear duplexes into finite assemblies.[2–4] The dimensions of these complexes can be increased by over five orders of magnitude through self-assembly of cohesive single-stranded segments (sticky ends).[5,6] Methods that exploit the sequence addressability of DNA nanostructures will enable the programmable positioning of components in 2D and 3D space, offering applications such as the organization of nanoelectronics,[7] the direction of biological cascades,[8] and the structure determination of periodically positioned molecules by X-ray diffraction.[9] To this end we present a macroscopic 3D crystal based on the 3-fold rotationally symmetric tensegrity triangle[3,6] that can be functionalized by a triplex-forming oligonucleotide on each of its helical edges.

Automatic Molecular Weaving Prototyped by Using Single‐Stranded DNA

One of the goals of molecular-based nanoscience is the organization of matter into strong molecular structures that display the advantageous properties of analogous macroscopic structures.[1] A woven fabric is an example of such a macroscopic structure, but deliberately braided woven molecules have not been reported, because nodes of designated[2] and alternating signs must be placed specifically. Owing to its double helical structure, DNA is an ideal programmable molecule to build synthetic topological targets.[3] A half-turn of DNA, about six nucleotide pairs, corresponds to a node or a crossing point in a knot or a catenane.[4] Deliberate trefoil knots,[5,6] a figure-8 knot,[7] polyhedral catenanes,[8,9] specifically linked electrophoretic mobility standards,[10] and Borromean rings[11] are examples of previous DNA topological constructs. Nevertheless, a woven arrangement requires an even greater level of control over the placement of nodes. Here, we have prototyped a planar woven arrangement, using the B-DNA conformation for all nodes by strategically combining D-nucleotides and L-nucleotides. This work represents the first step on the way to automatic molecular-scale weaving. A previous use of L-nucleotides in DNA nanotechnology has been reported,[12] indicating that opposite-handed deviations from ideal structures occur in uniformly L-nucleotide DNA. However, there is no prior report of using a combination of D-nucleotides and L-nucleotides in the same strands for topological or nanotechnological purposes.