Clusters formed of kinetoplast DNA

The shape of colloidal particles is one of the most important features that dictates their self-assembly. Here, we investigate the self-assembly of a model 2D polymer system – kinetoplast DNA (kDNA). kDNA is a natural Olympic gel wherein approximately 5000 small minicircles and 25 maxicircles are topologically interlocked in a quasi-2D plane to create a ~5 micron cup-shaped kDNA. The unique quasi-2D, soft, and anisotropic shape of kDNA allow us to study how particle shape and flexibility influence self-assembly and packing. We employ single molecule microscopy and microfluidic devices to study how kDNA-kDNA interactions can be tuned to create highly dynamic colloidal clusters.