Triggered contraction of self-assembled micron-scale DNA nanotube rings

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-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 languageEnglish
Article number2307
Pages (from-to)2307
JournalNature communications
Volume15
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 14 Mar 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMedCentral PMC10940629
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