title: Self-assembly of DNA into nanoscale three-dimensional shapes.
abstract: Molecular self-assembly offers a 'bottom-up' route to fabrication with subnanometre precision of complex structures from simple components. DNA has proved to be a versatile building block for programmable construction of such objects, including two-dimensional crystals, nanotubes, and three-dimensional wireframe nanopolyhedra. Templated self-assembly of DNA into custom two-dimensional shapes on the megadalton scale has been demonstrated previously with a multiple-kilobase 'scaffold strand' that is folded into a flat array of antiparallel helices by interactions with hundreds of oligonucleotide 'staple strands'. Here we extend this method to building custom three-dimensional shapes formed as pleated layers of helices constrained to a honeycomb lattice. We demonstrate the design and assembly of nanostructures approximating six shapes-monolith, square nut, railed bridge, genie bottle, stacked cross, slotted cross-with precisely controlled dimensions ranging from 10 to 100 nm. We also show hierarchical assembly of structures such as homomultimeric linear tracks and heterotrimeric wireframe icosahedra. Proper assembly requires week-long folding times and calibrated monovalent and divalent cation concentrations. We anticipate that our strategy for self-assembling custom three-dimensional shapes will provide a general route to the manufacture of sophisticated devices bearing features on the nanometre scale.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Shawn M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.forename: Hendrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dietz
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liedl
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Högberg
authors.forename: Franziska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Graf
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Shih
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation
chemical_list: D004247:DNA