Increasing Complexity in Wireframe DNA Nanostructures
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 desire...
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MDPI AG
2020-04-01
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Series: | Molecules |
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Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/8/1823 |
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author | Petteri Piskunen Sami Nummelin Boxuan Shen Mauri A. Kostiainen Veikko Linko |
author_facet | Petteri Piskunen Sami Nummelin Boxuan Shen Mauri A. Kostiainen Veikko Linko |
author_sort | Petteri Piskunen |
collection | DOAJ |
description | 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. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:26:14Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-80d7cbf20e3242ccbf6e12c73bd9088a |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1420-3049 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:26:14Z |
publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
publisher | MDPI AG |
record_format | Article |
series | Molecules |
spelling | doaj.art-80d7cbf20e3242ccbf6e12c73bd9088a2023-11-19T21:45:48ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492020-04-01258182310.3390/molecules25081823Increasing Complexity in Wireframe DNA NanostructuresPetteri Piskunen0Sami Nummelin1Boxuan Shen2Mauri A. Kostiainen3Veikko Linko4Biohybrid Materials, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, FinlandBiohybrid Materials, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, FinlandBiohybrid Materials, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, FinlandBiohybrid Materials, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, FinlandBiohybrid Materials, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, FinlandStructural 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.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/8/1823DNA nanotechnologyDNA origamiself-assemblycomputer-aided designwireframe structuresmeshing |
spellingShingle | Petteri Piskunen Sami Nummelin Boxuan Shen Mauri A. Kostiainen Veikko Linko Increasing Complexity in Wireframe DNA Nanostructures Molecules DNA nanotechnology DNA origami self-assembly computer-aided design wireframe structures meshing |
title | Increasing Complexity in Wireframe DNA Nanostructures |
title_full | Increasing Complexity in Wireframe DNA Nanostructures |
title_fullStr | Increasing Complexity in Wireframe DNA Nanostructures |
title_full_unstemmed | Increasing Complexity in Wireframe DNA Nanostructures |
title_short | Increasing Complexity in Wireframe DNA Nanostructures |
title_sort | increasing complexity in wireframe dna nanostructures |
topic | DNA nanotechnology DNA origami self-assembly computer-aided design wireframe structures meshing |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/8/1823 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT petteripiskunen increasingcomplexityinwireframednananostructures AT saminummelin increasingcomplexityinwireframednananostructures AT boxuanshen increasingcomplexityinwireframednananostructures AT mauriakostiainen increasingcomplexityinwireframednananostructures AT veikkolinko increasingcomplexityinwireframednananostructures |