Automatic Molecular Weaving Prototyped by Using Single-Stranded

摘要

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. A woven fabric is an example of such a macroscopic structure, but deliberately braided woven molecules have not been reported, because nodes of designated and alternating signs must be placed specifically. Owing to its double helical structure, DNA is an ideal programmable molecule to build synthetic topological targets. A half-turn of DNA, about six nucleotide pairs, corresponds to a node or a crossing point in a knot or a catenane. Deliberate trefoil knots, a figure-eight knot, polyhedral catenanes, specifically linked electrophoretic mobility standards, and Borromean rings' 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 by 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 nano-technology has been reported, 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.