Parallel Manipulation of Bifunctional DNA Molecules on Structured Surfaces Using Kinesin‐Driven Microtubules

• DOI: 10.1002/smll.200600112
• Publication Date: 2006-06-21T12:58:43Z
• Authors: Cerasela Zoica Dinu; Jörg Opitz; Wolfgang Pompe; Jonathon Howard; Michael Mertig; Stefan Diez
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences; DNA, Viral; Kinesins; Nanotechnology; Gold; Bacteriophage lambda; Microtubules

AbstractWe have developed a technique to manipulate bifunctional DNA molecules: One end is thiolated to bind to a patterned gold surface and the other end is biotinylated to bind to a microtubule gliding over a kinesin‐coated surface. We found that DNA molecules can be stretched and overstretched between the gold pads and the motile microtubules, and that they can form dynamic networks. This serves as a proof‐of‐principle that biological machineries can be used in vitro to accomplish the parallel formation of structured DNA templates that will have applications in biophysics and nanoelectronics.