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Review

Increasing Complexity in Wireframe DNA Nanostructures

1
Biohybrid Materials, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, Finland
2
HYBER Centre, Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15100, 00076 Aalto, Finland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Molecules 2020, 25(8), 1823; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25081823
Submission received: 25 March 2020 / Revised: 13 April 2020 / Accepted: 14 April 2020 / Published: 16 April 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomolecular Materials: Self-Assembly, Structure, and Application)

Abstract

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.
Keywords: DNA nanotechnology; DNA origami; self-assembly; computer-aided design; wireframe structures; meshing; algorithmic design; top-down; nanofabrication; biomaterials DNA nanotechnology; DNA origami; self-assembly; computer-aided design; wireframe structures; meshing; algorithmic design; top-down; nanofabrication; biomaterials
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MDPI and ACS Style

Piskunen, P.; Nummelin, S.; Shen, B.; Kostiainen, M.A.; Linko, V. Increasing Complexity in Wireframe DNA Nanostructures. Molecules 2020, 25, 1823. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25081823

AMA Style

Piskunen P, Nummelin S, Shen B, Kostiainen MA, Linko V. Increasing Complexity in Wireframe DNA Nanostructures. Molecules. 2020; 25(8):1823. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25081823

Chicago/Turabian Style

Piskunen, Petteri, Sami Nummelin, Boxuan Shen, Mauri A. Kostiainen, and Veikko Linko. 2020. "Increasing Complexity in Wireframe DNA Nanostructures" Molecules 25, no. 8: 1823. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25081823

APA Style

Piskunen, P., Nummelin, S., Shen, B., Kostiainen, M. A., & Linko, V. (2020). Increasing Complexity in Wireframe DNA Nanostructures. Molecules, 25(8), 1823. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25081823

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