National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Nat Commun. 2021 May 21;12(1):3011. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-23332-4.
DNA origami technology has proven to be an excellent tool for precisely manipulating molecules and colloidal elements in a three-dimensional manner. However, fabrication of single crystals with well-defined facets from highly programmable, complex DNA origami units is a great challenge. Here, we report the successful fabrication of DNA origami single crystals with Wulff shapes and high yield. By regulating the symmetries and binding modes of the DNA origami building blocks, the crystalline shapes can be designed and well-controlled. The single crystals are then used to induce precise growth of an ultrathin layer of silica on the edges, resulting in mechanically reinforced silica-DNA hybrid structures that preserve the details of the single crystals without distortion. The silica-infused microcrystals can be directly observed in the dry state, which allows meticulous analysis of the crystal facets and tomographic 3D reconstruction of the single crystals by high-resolution electron microscopy.
DNA 折纸技术已被证明是一种精确操纵分子和胶体元素的有效工具，可以实现三维操控。然而，由高度可编程、复杂的 DNA 折纸单元制造具有明确晶面的单晶仍然是一个巨大的挑战。在这里，我们报告了成功制造出具有魏尔夫形状和高产量的 DNA 折纸单晶。通过调节 DNA 折纸构建块的对称性和结合模式，可以对晶体形状进行设计和精确控制。然后，这些单晶被用来诱导在边缘上精确生长一层超薄的二氧化硅，从而形成机械增强的二氧化硅-DNA 杂化结构，在不发生变形的情况下保留单晶的细节。注入二氧化硅的微晶体可以在干燥状态下直接观察，这使得可以通过高分辨率电子显微镜对晶体表面进行细致的分析和对单晶进行断层扫描 3D 重建。
