Three-dimensional structural dynamics of DNA origami Bennett linkages using individual-particle electron tomography

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03018-0
• Publication Date: 2018-02-05T11:53:27Z
• Authors: Dongsheng Lei; Alexander E. Marras; Jianfang Liu; Chao-Min Huang; Lifeng Zhou; Carlos E. Castro; Hai-Jun Su; Gang Ren
• Keywords: DNA origami; Linkage (software); DNA nanotechnology

Abstract Scaffolded DNA origami has proven to be a powerful and efficient technique fabricate functional nanomachines by programming the folding of single-stranded template strand into three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures, designed precisely motion-controlled. Although two-dimensional (2D) imaging using transmission electron microscopy atomic force suggested these are dynamic in 3D, geometric analysis based on 2D was insufficient uncover exact motion 3D. Here we use individual-particle tomography method reconstruct 129 density maps from individual Bennett linkage mechanisms at ~ 6–14 nm resolution. The statistical analyses conformations lead understanding 3D structural dynamics mechanisms. Moreover, our effort provides experimental verification theoretical kinematics model origami, which can used as feedback improve design control via optimized sequences routing.