Oh Joon Suk, Yi Gi-Ra, Pine David J
Center for Soft Matter Research, Department of Physics, New York University, New York, New York 10003, United States.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419 Republic of Korea.
ACS Nano. 2020 Apr 28;14(4):4595-4600. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.0c00164. Epub 2020 Mar 25.
DNA is a unique molecule for storing information, which is used to provide particular biological instructions. Its function is primarily determined by the sequence of its four nucleobases, which have highly specific base-pairing interactions. This unique feature can be applied to direct the self-assembly of colloids by grafting DNA onto them. Due to the sequence-specific interactions, colloids can be programmed with multiple instructions. Here, we show that particles having multiple DNA strands with different melting profiles can undergo multiple phase transitions and reassemble into different crystalline structures in response to temperature. We include free DNA strands in the medium to selectively switch on and off DNA hybridization depending on temperature. We also demonstrate that DNA hybridization kinetics can be used as a means to achieve targeted assembling structure of colloids. These transitions impart a reconfigurability to colloids in which systems can be transformed an arbitrary number of times using thermal and kinetic control.
DNA是一种用于存储信息的独特分子，可用于提供特定的生物学指令。其功能主要由其四种核碱基的序列决定，这些核碱基具有高度特异性的碱基配对相互作用。通过将DNA嫁接到胶体上，这一独特特性可应用于指导胶体的自组装。由于序列特异性相互作用，胶体可以被编入多种指令。在此，我们表明，具有不同解链曲线的多条DNA链的颗粒可以经历多次相变，并根据温度重新组装成不同的晶体结构。我们在介质中加入游离DNA链，以根据温度选择性地开启和关闭DNA杂交。我们还证明，DNA杂交动力学可以用作实现胶体靶向组装结构的一种手段。这些转变赋予胶体一种可重构性，即系统可以通过热和动力学控制进行任意次数的转变。
