scholarly journals Increasing Complexity in Wireframe DNA Nanostructures

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1823 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petteri Piskunen ◽  
Sami Nummelin ◽  
Boxuan Shen ◽  
Mauri A. Kostiainen ◽  
Veikko Linko

Structural DNA nanotechnology has recently gained significant momentum, as diverse design tools for producing custom DNA shapes have become more and more accessible to numerous laboratories worldwide. Most commonly, researchers are employing a scaffolded DNA origami technique by “sculpting” a desired shape from a given lattice composed of packed adjacent DNA helices. Albeit relatively straightforward to implement, this approach contains its own apparent restrictions. First, the designs are limited to certain lattice types. Second, the long scaffold strand that runs through the entire structure has to be manually routed. Third, the technique does not support trouble-free fabrication of hollow single-layer structures that may have more favorable features and properties compared to objects with closely packed helices, especially in biological research such as drug delivery. In this focused review, we discuss the recent development of wireframe DNA nanostructures—methods relying on meshing and rendering DNA—that may overcome these obstacles. In addition, we describe each available technique and the possible shapes that can be generated. Overall, the remarkable evolution in wireframe DNA structure design methods has not only induced an increase in their complexity and thus expanded the prevalent shape space, but also already reached a state at which the whole design process of a chosen shape can be carried out automatically. We believe that by combining cost-effective biotechnological mass production of DNA strands with top-down processes that decrease human input in the design procedure to minimum, this progress will lead us to a new era of DNA nanotechnology with potential applications coming increasingly into view.

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 3019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Türkan Bayrak ◽  
Nagesh Jagtap ◽  
Artur Erbe

The use of self-assembly techniques may open new possibilities in scaling down electronic circuits to their ultimate limits. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) nanotechnology has already demonstrated that it can provide valuable tools for the creation of nanostructures of arbitrary shape, therefore presenting an ideal platform for the development of nanoelectronic circuits. So far, however, the electronic properties of DNA nanostructures are mostly insulating, thus limiting the use of the nanostructures in electronic circuits. Therefore, methods have been investigated that use the DNA nanostructures as templates for the deposition of electrically conducting materials along the DNA strands. The most simple such structure is given by metallic nanowires formed by deposition of metals along the DNA nanostructures. Here, we review the fabrication and the characterization of the electronic properties of nanowires, which were created using these methods.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 2624
Author(s):  
Daniel Fu ◽  
John Reif

Structural DNA nanotechnology is a pioneering biotechnology that presents the opportunity to engineer DNA-based hardware that will mediate a profound interface to the nanoscale. To date, an enormous library of shaped 3D DNA nanostructures have been designed and assembled. Moreover, recent research has demonstrated DNA nanostructures that are not only static but can exhibit specific dynamic motion. DNA nanostructures have thus garnered significant research interest as a template for pursuing shape and motion-dependent nanoscale phenomena. Potential applications have been explored in many interdisciplinary areas spanning medicine, biosensing, nanofabrication, plasmonics, single-molecule chemistry, and facilitating biophysical studies. In this review, we begin with a brief overview of general and versatile design techniques for 3D DNA nanostructures as well as some techniques and studies that have focused on improving the stability of DNA nanostructures in diverse environments, which is pivotal for its reliable utilization in downstream applications. Our main focus will be to compile a wide body of existing research on applications of 3D DNA nanostructures that demonstrably rely on the versatility of their mechanical design. Furthermore, we frame reviewed applications into three primary categories, namely encapsulation, surface templating, and nanomechanics, that we propose to be archetypal shape- or motion-related functions of DNA nanostructures found in nanoscience applications. Our intent is to identify core concepts that may define and motivate specific directions of progress in this field as we conclude the review with some perspectives on the future.


Nano LIFE ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 07 (01) ◽  
pp. 1730001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingjie Hu ◽  
Zejun Wang ◽  
Chunhai Fan ◽  
Haiyun Song

Highly specific deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) base-pairing not only carries genetic information, but also provides the basis for self-assembly of novel nanostructures with programmable shapes and sizes. Unlike single-stranded and double-stranded DNA, DNA nanostructures exhibit good cellular permeability. They also have characteristics of uniform size, easy functionalization, precise addressability, excellent water solubility and high biocompatibility. Due to their unique properties, these tailored molecular devices are ideal nanoscale systems for targeting cells and triggering cellular responses. Recent progress in the field of DNA nanotechnology has demonstrated effectiveness and advantages of DNA nanostructures as smart and targeted drug delivery systems or imaging agents within living organisms. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in structure design, cargo loading and cellular delivery of DNA nanocarriers, and discuss their potential in therapeutic applications.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1332
Author(s):  
Armando Hernandez-Garcia

Proteins and DNA exhibit key physical chemical properties that make them advantageous for building nanostructures with outstanding features. Both DNA and protein nanotechnology have growth notably and proved to be fertile disciplines. The combination of both types of nanotechnologies is helpful to overcome the individual weaknesses and limitations of each one, paving the way for the continuing diversification of structural nanotechnologies. Recent studies have implemented a synergistic combination of both biomolecules to assemble unique and sophisticate protein–DNA nanostructures. These hybrid nanostructures are highly programmable and display remarkable features that create new opportunities to build on the nanoscale. This review focuses on the strategies deployed to create hybrid protein–DNA nanostructures. Here, we discuss strategies such as polymerization, spatial directing and organizing, coating, and rigidizing or folding DNA into particular shapes or moving parts. The enrichment of structural DNA nanotechnology by incorporating protein nanotechnology has been clearly demonstrated and still shows a large potential to create useful and advanced materials with cell-like properties or dynamic systems. It can be expected that structural protein–DNA nanotechnology will open new avenues in the fabrication of nanoassemblies with unique functional applications and enrich the toolbox of bionanotechnology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 7168
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Shahbazi ◽  
Mohammad Souri ◽  
Masoud Jabbari ◽  
Amir Keshmiri

Biosensors are favored devices for the fast and cost-effective detection of biological species without the need for laboratories. Microfluidic integration with biosensors has advanced their capabilities in selectivity, sensitivity, controllability, and conducting multiple binding assays simultaneously. Despite all the improvements, their design and fabrication are still challenging and time-consuming. The current study aims to enhance microfluidic-integrated biosensors’ performance. Three different functional designs are presented with both active (with the help of electroosmotic flow) and passive (geometry optimization) methods. For validation and further studies, these solutions are applied to an experimental setup for DNA hybridization. The numerical results for the original case have been validated with the experimental data from previous literature. Convection, diffusion, migration, and hybridization of DNA strands during the hybridization process have been simulated with finite element method (FEM) in 3D. Based on the results, increasing the velocity on top of the functionalized surface, by reducing the thickness of the microchamber in that area, would increase the speed of surface coverage by up to 62%. An active flow control with the help of electric field would increase this speed by 32%. In addition, other essential parameters in the fabrication of the microchamber, such as changes in pressure and bulk concentration, have been studied. The suggested designs are simple, applicable and cost-effective, and would not add extra challenges to the fabrication process. Overall, the effect of the geometry of the microchamber on the time and effectiveness of biosensors is inevitable. More studies on the geometry optimization of the microchamber and position of the electrodes using machine learning methods would be beneficial in future works.


2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 2470-2477
Author(s):  
P. Golvari ◽  
E. Nouri ◽  
N. Mohsenzadegan ◽  
M. R. Mohammadi ◽  
S. O. Martinez-Chapa

Cost-effective DSCs with superior electronic properties are gained by a reduction in electronic trap states and outstanding light scattering and harvesting.


Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 560
Author(s):  
Ravindra Ketan Mehta ◽  
Anupama Bhat Kaul

In this work, we implemented liquid exfoliation to inkjet-print two-dimensional (2D) black phosphorous (BP) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) p–n heterojunctions on a standard indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrate in a vertical architecture. We also compared the optical and electrical properties of the inkjet-printed BP layer with that of the MoS2 and the electrical properties of the mechanically exfoliated MoS2 with that of the inkjet-printed MoS2. We found significant differences in the optical characteristics of the inkjet-printed BP and MoS2 layers attributed to the differences in their underlying crystal structure. The newly demonstrated liquid exfoliated and inkjet-printed BP–MoS2 2D p–n junction was also compared with previous reports where mechanically exfoliated BP–MoS2 2D p–n junction were used. The electronic transport properties of mechanically exfoliated MoS2 membranes are typically better compared to inkjet-printed structures but inkjet printing offers a cost-effective and quicker way to fabricate heterostructures easily. In the future, the performance of inkjet-printed structures can be further improved by employing suitable contact materials, amongst other factors such as modifying the solvent chemistries. The architecture reported in this work has potential applications towards building solar cells with solution processed 2D materials in the future.


2021 ◽  
pp. 152808372110242
Author(s):  
Kadir Bilisik ◽  
Mahmuda Akter

In this paper, graphene, graphene/matrix, and graphene/fiber nanocomposites, including their synthesis process, fabrication, properties, and potential applications, were reviewed. It was found that several synthesis techniques for nanographene were developed, such as liquid-phase exfoliation and chemical vapor deposition. In addition, some fabrication processes of graphene/matrix and graphene/fiber-based nanocomposites were made, including in-situ polymerization, nanostitching in that single layer nano graphene plate could be interconnected by means of carbon nanotube stitching, resin transfer molding, and vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding. Several properties, including mechanical, thermal, and electrical, on the graphene nanoplatelets materials were summarized in this review paper. It was realized that graphene, graphene/matrix, and graphene/fiber nanocomposites have extraordinary mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties used in advanced engineering applications, including soft robotics, microelectronics, energy storage, biomedical and biosensors as well as textile industry.


Author(s):  
Mamou Diallo ◽  
Servé W. M. Kengen ◽  
Ana M. López-Contreras

AbstractThe Clostridium genus harbors compelling organisms for biotechnological production processes; while acetogenic clostridia can fix C1-compounds to produce acetate and ethanol, solventogenic clostridia can utilize a wide range of carbon sources to produce commercially valuable carboxylic acids, alcohols, and ketones by fermentation. Despite their potential, the conversion by these bacteria of carbohydrates or C1 compounds to alcohols is not cost-effective enough to result in economically viable processes. Engineering solventogenic clostridia by impairing sporulation is one of the investigated approaches to improve solvent productivity. Sporulation is a cell differentiation process triggered in bacteria in response to exposure to environmental stressors. The generated spores are metabolically inactive but resistant to harsh conditions (UV, chemicals, heat, oxygen). In Firmicutes, sporulation has been mainly studied in bacilli and pathogenic clostridia, and our knowledge of sporulation in solvent-producing or acetogenic clostridia is limited. Still, sporulation is an integral part of the cellular physiology of clostridia; thus, understanding the regulation of sporulation and its connection to solvent production may give clues to improve the performance of solventogenic clostridia. This review aims to provide an overview of the triggers, characteristics, and regulatory mechanism of sporulation in solventogenic clostridia. Those are further compared to the current knowledge on sporulation in the industrially relevant acetogenic clostridia. Finally, the potential applications of spores for process improvement are discussed.Key Points• The regulatory network governing sporulation initiation varies in solventogenic clostridia.• Media composition and cell density are the main triggers of sporulation.• Spores can be used to improve the fermentation process.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1413
Author(s):  
Sofia Ojasalo ◽  
Petteri Piskunen ◽  
Boxuan Shen ◽  
Mauri A. Kostiainen ◽  
Veikko Linko

Viruses are among the most intriguing nanostructures found in nature. Their atomically precise shapes and unique biological properties, especially in protecting and transferring genetic information, have enabled a plethora of biomedical applications. On the other hand, structural DNA nanotechnology has recently emerged as a highly useful tool to create programmable nanoscale structures. They can be extended to user defined devices to exhibit a wide range of static, as well as dynamic functions. In this review, we feature the recent development of virus-DNA hybrid materials. Such structures exhibit the best features of both worlds by combining the biological properties of viruses with the highly controlled assembly properties of DNA. We present how the DNA shapes can act as “structured” genomic material and direct the formation of virus capsid proteins or be encapsulated inside symmetrical capsids. Tobacco mosaic virus-DNA hybrids are discussed as the examples of dynamic systems and directed formation of conjugates. Finally, we highlight virus-mimicking approaches based on lipid- and protein-coated DNA structures that may elicit enhanced stability, immunocompatibility and delivery properties. This development also paves the way for DNA-based vaccines as the programmable nano-objects can be used for controlling immune cell activation.


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