Type
ArticleAuthors
Torelli, EmanuelaMarini, Monica

Palmano, Sabrina
Piantanida, Luca
Polano, Cesare
Scarpellini, Alice
Lazzarino, Marco
Firrao, Giuseppe
KAUST Department
Material Science and Engineering ProgramPhysical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division
Date
2014-03-20Online Publication Date
2014-03-20Print Publication Date
2014-07Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/563449
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
A prototype for a DNA origami nanorobot is designed, produced, and tested. The cylindrical nanorobot (diameter of 14 nm and length of 48 nm) with a switchable flap, is able to respond to an external stimulus and reacts by a physical switch from a disarmed to an armed configuration able to deliver a cellular compatible message. In the tested design the robot weapon is a nucleic acid fully contained in the inner of the tube and linked to a single point of the internal face of the flap. Upon actuation the nanorobot moves the flap extracting the nucleic acid that assembles into a hemin/G-quadruplex horseradish peroxidase mimicking DNAzyme catalyzing a colorimetric reaction or chemiluminescence generation. The actuation switch is triggered by an external nucleic acid (target) that interacts with a complementary nucleic acid that is beard externally by the nanorobot (probe). Hybridization of probe and target produces a localized structural change that results in flap opening. The flap movement is studied on a two-dimensional prototype origami using Förster resonance energy transfer and is shown to be triggered by a variety of targets, including natural RNAs. The nanorobot has potential for in vivo biosensing and intelligent delivery of biological activators. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.Publisher
WileyJournal
Smallae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1002/smll.201400245