Researchers create controllable, reconfigurable, 3D DNA structures

Time to geek out a bit here. In the current research race into nanotechnology, the idea of using DNA structures for nanoscale robots or machines isn’t new though precise control over these structures has never been their strongest point. But now researchers from the UK and Germany have discovered a way to create a custom DNA structure that can be controlled remotely, using DNA signals to trigger reconfiguring events. More at the full story.

Andrew Tuberfield of Oxford University, UK together with Russel Goodman, Mike Heilemann, Sören Doose, Christoph Erben, and Achillefs Kapanidis demonstrated how crafted DNA structures, called DNA tetrahedra for their obvious form, could be precisely controlled through the use of specific molecular signals. These structures can serve as building blocks for larger 3D structures, and they can be remotely reconfigured on command.

The tetrahedrons were formed through careful selection of DNA molecules so that they would form when mixed. The resulting four triangle faces stay in place by the aid of a base formed by four “struts.” The struts can join the the structure by way of a “fuel” strand of DNA and can be removed just the same by way of an “anti-fuel” strand of DNA.

Researchers hope to create larger 3D objects using these minute building blocks, but this discovery is likely to spur a new line of research into remote-controlled DNA entities. Everything from medical science to computer science may benefit one way or the other from this find. The journal “Nature Nanotechnology” published in February 3, 2008 carries a more detailed report.