Scientists Build DNA Rail System For Nanomotors, Complete With Tracks & Switches
An international team of researchers has used DNA building blocks to construct a motor capable of navigating a programmable network of tracks with multiple switches.
AsianScientist (Jan. 23, 2012) - Expanding on previous work with engines traveling on straight tracks, a team of researchers at Kyoto University and the University of Oxford have used DNA building blocks to construct a motor capable of navigating a programmable network of tracks with multiple switches.
The findings, published online yesterday in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, uses the technology of DNA origami, where strands of DNA molecules are sequenced in a way that will cause them to self-assemble into desired 2D and even 3D structures.
In this latest effort, the scientists built a network of tracks and switches atop DNA origami tiles, which made it possible for motor molecules to travel along these rail systems.
"We have demonstrated that it is not only possible to build nanoscale devices that function autonomously," said Dr. Masayuki Endo of Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), "but that we can cause such devices to produce predictable outputs based on different, controllable starting conditions."
The team, including lead author Dr. Shelley Wickham at Oxford, expects that the work may lead to the development of even more complex systems, such as programmable molecular assembly lines and sophisticated sensors.
"We are really still at an early stage in designing DNA origami-based engineering systems," said iCeMS Prof. Hiroshi Sugiyama.
"The promise is great, but at the same time there are still many technical hurdles to overcome in order to improve the quality of the output. This is just the beginning for this new and exciting field," he added.
The article can be found at: Wickham SFJ et al. (2012) A DNA-based molecular motor that can navigate a network of tracks.
Source: iCeMS, Tokyo University.
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