Rapid chiral assembly of rigid DNA building blocks for molecular nanofabrication.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

Practical components for three-dimensional molecular nanofabrication must be simple to produce, stereopure, rigid, and adaptable. We report a family of DNA tetrahedra, less than 10 nanometers on a side, that can self-assemble in seconds with near-quantitative yield of one diastereomer. They can be connected by programmable DNA linkers. Their triangulated architecture confers structural stability; by compressing a DNA tetrahedron with an atomic force microscope, we have measured the axial compressibility of DNA and observed the buckling of the double helix under high loads.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Goodman, RP; Schaap, IAT; Tardin, CF; Erben, CM; Berry, RM; Schmidt, CF; Turberfield, AJ

Published Date

  • December 2005

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 310 / 5754

Start / End Page

  • 1661 - 1665

PubMed ID

  • 16339440

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1095-9203

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0036-8075

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1126/science.1120367

Language

  • eng