Institute of Molecular Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acids Chemistry and Nanomedicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200025, China.
Innovation Laboratory of Terahertz Biophysics, National Innovation Institute of Defense Technology, Beijing 100071, China.
Nano Lett. 2022 Jan 12;22(1):468-475. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c04369. Epub 2021 Dec 30.
Terahertz (THz) waves show nontrivial interactions with living systems, but the underlying molecular mechanisms have yet to be explored. Here, we employ DNA origami as a model system to study the interactions between THz waves and DNA structures. We find that a 3-min THz illumination (35.2 THz) can drive the unwinding of DNA duplexes at ∼10 °C below their melting point. Computational study reveals that the THz wave can resonate with the vibration of DNA bases, provoking the hydrogen bond breaking. The cooperation of thermal and nonthermal effects allows the unfolding of undesired secondary structures and the THz illumination can generate diverse DNA origami assemblies with the yield (>80%) ∼ 4-fold higher than that by the contact heating at similar temperatures. We also demonstrate the in situ assembly of DNA origami in cell lysate. This method enables remotely controllable assembly of intact biomacromolecules, providing new insight into the bioeffects of THz waves.
太赫兹（THz）波与生命系统表现出非平凡的相互作用，但潜在的分子机制尚未得到探索。在这里，我们采用 DNA 折纸作为模型系统来研究 THz 波与 DNA 结构之间的相互作用。我们发现，3 分钟的 THz 照射（35.2 THz）可以在低于其熔点约 10°C 的温度下驱动 DNA 双链体的解旋。计算研究表明，THz 波可以与 DNA 碱基的振动产生共振，导致氢键断裂。热效应和非热效应的协同作用允许展开不需要的二级结构，并且 THz 照射可以以比在类似温度下通过接触加热产生的产量（>80%）高约 4 倍的产率生成多种 DNA 折纸组装体。我们还展示了在细胞裂解物中 DNA 折纸的原位组装。该方法能够远程控制完整生物大分子的组装，为 THz 波的生物效应提供了新的见解。
