Triggered contraction of self-assembled micron-scale DNA nanotube rings
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
Contractile rings are formed from cytoskeletal filaments during cell division. Ring formation is induced by specific crosslinkers, while contraction is typically associated with motor protein activity. Here, we engineer DNA nanotubes and peptide-functionalized starPEG constructs as synthetic crosslinkers to mimic this process. The crosslinker induces bundling of ten to hundred DNA nanotubes into closed micron-scale rings in a one-pot self-assembly process yielding several thousand rings per microliter. Molecular dynamics simulations reproduce the detailed architectural properties of the DNA rings observed in electron microscopy. Theory and simulations predict DNA ring contraction - without motor proteins - providing mechanistic insights into the parameter space relevant for efficient nanotube sliding. In agreement between simulation and experiment, we obtain ring contraction to less than half of the initial ring diameter. DNA-based contractile rings hold promise for an artificial division machinery or contractile muscle-like materials.
Details
Original language | English |
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Article number | 2307 |
Pages (from-to) | 2307 |
Journal | Nature communications |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 14 Mar 2024 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
PubMedCentral | PMC10940629 |
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Scopus | 85187888999 |
ORCID | /0000-0002-0750-8515/work/158764601 |
ORCID | /0000-0002-6669-4995/work/158767724 |
Keywords
Keywords
- Cell Division, Proteins/metabolism, Actin Cytoskeleton/metabolism, Myosins/metabolism, Nanotubes, DNA/metabolism