3D DNA origami crystals

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the design and assembly of 3D DNA origami crystals with customizable geometry, capable of hosting nanoscale objects like gold particles and potentially larger biomolecules, validated by microscopy and scattering techniques.

Contribution

Introduction of a DNA origami tensegrity triangle that forms 3D lattices with precise placement of nanoparticles, enabling new applications in metamaterials and structural biology.

Findings

Successfully assembled 3D rhombohedral DNA origami lattices

Achieved site-specific placement of 10 nm and 20 nm gold particles

Validated lattice structure and nanoparticle incorporation via electron microscopy and SAXS

Abstract

Engineering shape and interactions of nanoscopic building blocks allows for the assembly of rationally designed macroscopic three-dimensional (3D) materials with spatial accuracy inaccessible to top-down fabrication methods. Owing to its sequence-specific interaction, DNA is often used as selective binder to connect metallic nanoparticles into highly ordered lattices. Moreover, 3D crystals assembled entirely from DNA have been proposed and implemented with the declared goal to arrange guest molecules in predefined lattices. This requires design schemes that provide high rigidity and sufficiently large open guest space. We here present a DNA origami-based tensegrity triangle structure that assembles into a 3D rhombohedral crystalline lattice. We site-specifically place 10 nm and 20 nm gold particles within the lattice, demonstrating that our crystals are spacious enough to host e.g. ribosome-sized macromolecules. We validate the accurate assembly of the DNA origami lattice itself as well as the precise incorporation of gold particles by electron microscopy and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments. Our results show that it is possible to create DNA building blocks that assemble into lattices with customized geometry. Site-specific hosting of nano objects in the transparent DNA lattice sets the stage for metamaterial and structural biology applications.