Self-assembly of DNA origami particles into self-limited surfaces

The combination of proteins’ unique folded shapes and specific interactions enable them to self-assemble into functional, nanostructured materials, such as viral capsids and microtubules. In this talk, I will present experimental results showing that we can mimic these features using DNA origami. We devise a scheme for designing synthetic building blocks with prescribed shapes and specific interactions. Our building blocks are DNA origami triangles, which bind via DNA base stacking interactions between shape-complementary edges. The dihedral angles between neighboring building blocks can be tuned independently by designing the building-block geometry. We illustrate our design approach by making triangular building blocks that assemble into self-limited structures, like a zigzag nanotube which is limited in size along one dimension. Molecular dynamics simulations, gel electrophoresis, and electron microscopy verify the three-dimensional structures of the individual building blocks as well as their assemblies. Going forward, our design method will enable us to create other building blocks that self-assemble into surfaces with user-prescribed curvatures.