DNA origami

Abstract

Biological materials are self-assembled with near-atomic precision in living cells, whereas synthetic 3D structures generally lack such precision and controllability. Recently, DNA nanotechnology, especially DNA origami technology, has been useful in the bottom-up fabrication of well-defined nanostructures ranging from tens of nanometres to sub-micrometres. In this Primer, we summarize the methodologies of DNA origami technology, including origami design, synthesis, functionalization and characterization. We highlight applications of origami structures in nanofabrication, nanophotonics and nanoelectronics, catalysis, computation, molecular machines, bioimaging, drug delivery and biophysics. We identify challenges for the field, including size limits, stability issues and the scale of production, and discuss their possible solutions. We further provide an outlook on next-generation DNA origami techniques that will allow in vivo synthesis and multiscale manufacturing.

DNA nanostructure-based nucleic acid probes: construction and biological applications

“…In 2009, the geometries of DNA origami-based structures were extended from 2D to 3D. 12,80 Anderson and colleagues created the famous DNA box (42 nm × 36 nm × 36 nm) assembled from six 2D origami sheets ( Fig. 2 ).…”

“…Typical examples of DNA nanostructures mainly include regular shapes such as Y-shaped scaffolds, 6 DNA tetrahedrons, 7 polyhedrons, 8 prisms, 9 DNA dendrimers, 10 amorphous structures such as DNA hydrogels, 11 and complicated programmed DNA nanostructures designed based on DNA origami. 12,13 All of these structures, with precise designs, can be assembled as confined components with a particular size and shape or expanded into microscopical space. With the development of biochemical technology, DNA modification at a special site became more and more elaborate.…”

DNA Based and Stimuli-Responsive Smart Nanocarrier for Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer: Applications and Challenges

“…It involves DNA folding to two- or three-dimensional nanostructures. The fabrication of DNA origami was based on the folding of DNA scaffold, which is a long single-stranded DNA along with many short ssDNA, the staples [ 152 ]. DNA origami-based synthesis facilitated easy production, robustness, increase product yield, and provide an opportunity to form complex shapes [ 153 ].…”

The Art of Designing DNA Nanostructures with CAD Software

“…Whether by coincidence or otherwise, the same timeframe has also corresponded to a rapid expansion of the DNA nanotechnology from being an interesting niche oddity, to making inroads in fields from nano-photonics to medicine and healthcare. For these applications, the DNA origamis are of particular interest, since they allow for the precise positioning of molecules and structures for specific applications [17,18].…”