Programming the Curvatures in Reconfigurable DNA Domino Origami by Using Asymmetric Units

Abstract

The DNA origami technique is a robust method for the design of DNA nanostructures with prescribed shapes, including complex curved geometries. In addition to static structures, dynamic DNA origami has been used to construct sophisticated nanomachines that can reconfigure their shapes in response to external stimuli. Here, we report a new method to design DNA origami structures that can transform between a noncurved conformation and curved conformation. The reconfigurable structures are developed on the basis of dynamic DNA domino origami, which can transform in a cascading process initiated by trigger DNA strands. The degree of curvature could be programmed by tuning the sizes of DNA units within the origami.

Keywords: DNA domino origami; conformation transformation; curved conformation; dynamic DNA origami.