A DNA origami rotary ratchet motor

• DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04910-y
• Publication Date: 2022-07-20T15:02:49Z
• Authors: Anna-Katharina Pumm; Wouter Engelen; Enzo Kopperger; Jonas Isensee; Matthias Vogt; Viktorija Kozina; Massimo Kube; Maximilian N. Hon...; Eva Bertosin; Martin Langecker; Ramin Golestanian; Friedrich C. Simmel; Hendrik Dietz
• Keywords: Molecular motor; Microscale chemistry; DNA origami; Molecular machine; Thermal fluctuations

Abstract To impart directionality to the motions of a molecular mechanism, one must overcome random thermal forces that are ubiquitous on such small scales and in liquid solution at ambient temperature. In equilibrium without energy supply, directional motion cannot be sustained violating laws thermodynamics. Under conditions away from thermodynamic equilibrium, may achieved within framework Brownian ratchets, which diffusive mechanisms have broken inversion symmetry 1–5 . Ratcheting is thought underpin function many natural biological motors, as F 1 0 -ATPase 6–8 , it has been demonstrated experimentally synthetic microscale systems (for example, our knowledge, first ref. 3 ) also artificial motors created by organic chemical synthesis 9–12 DNA nanotechnology 13 yielded variety nanoscale mechanisms, including pivots, hinges, crank sliders rotary 14–17 can adopt different configurations, for triggered strand-displacement reactions 18,19 or changing environmental parameters pH, ionic strength, temperature, external fields coupling their those motor proteins 20–26 This previous work considering low-Reynolds-number dynamics inherent stochasticity 27,28 led us develop built origami driven ratcheting whose mechanical capabilities approach -ATPase.