title: Self-assembly of multi-stranded RNA motifs into lattices and tubular structures.
abstract: Rational design of nucleic acid molecules yields self-assembling scaffolds with increasing complexity, size and functionality. It is an open question whether design methods tailored to build DNA nanostructures can be adapted to build RNA nanostructures with comparable features. Here we demonstrate the formation of RNA lattices and tubular assemblies from double crossover (DX) tiles, a canonical motif in DNA nanotechnology. Tubular structures can exceed 1 μm in length, suggesting that this DX motif can produce very robust lattices. Some of these tubes spontaneously form with left-handed chirality. We obtain assemblies by using two methods: a protocol where gel-extracted RNA strands are slowly annealed, and a one-pot transcription and anneal procedure. We identify the tile nick position as a structural requirement for lattice formation. Our results demonstrate that stable RNA structures can be obtained with design tools imported from DNA nanotechnology. These large assemblies could be potentially integrated with a variety of functional RNA motifs for drug or nanoparticle delivery, or for colocalization of cellular components.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of California, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
authors.forename: Jaimie Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
authors.forename: Hari K K
authors.initials: HKK
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Franco
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009691:Nucleic Acid Denaturation; D059372:Nucleotide Motifs / Q000235:genetics*; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D012313:RNA