Non-deterministic self-assembly with asymmetric interactions

TL;DR

This paper explores how asymmetric interactions in non-deterministic self-assembly can control cluster size and growth, with implications for bioengineering and understanding protein aggregation diseases.

Contribution

It demonstrates that asymmetric interactions enable self-limiting growth and size tuning in self-assembly processes, supported by computational and experimental evidence.

Findings

Asymmetric interactions lead to self-limiting cluster growth.

Adjusting particle ratios tunes final cluster sizes.

Potential applications in bioengineering and disease understanding.

Abstract

We investigate general properties of non-deterministic self-assembly with asymmetric interactions, using a computational model and DNA tile assembly experiments. By contrasting symmetric and asymmetric interactions we show that the latter can lead to self-limiting cluster growth. Furthermore, by adjusting the relative abundance of self-assembly particles in a two-particle mixture, we are able to tune the final sizes of these clusters. We show that this is a fundamental property of asymmetric interactions, which has potential applications in bioengineering, and provides new insights into the study of diseases caused by protein aggregation.