Scientists Have Developed A DNA Nano Engine Driven By a Clever Mechanism

Monday - October 23 2023, 21:16 UTC - 1 year ago

An international team of scientists has developed a novel type of nano engine made of DNA that is powered by a clever mechanism, replicating how RNA polymerases copy DNA strands. It has similar form to a hand grip strength trainer, with two handles connected by a spring, however is much smaller with almost 14,000 nucleotides. The results were published on October 19 in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

An international team of scientists has recently developed a novel type of nano engine made of DNA. It is driven by a clever mechanism and can perform pulsing movements. The researchers are now planning to fit it with a coupling and install it as a drive in complex nanomachines. Their results were published on October 19 in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

Petr Šulc, an assistant professor at Arizona State University’s School of Molecular Sciences and the Biodesign Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, has collaborated with professor Famulok (project lead) from the University of Bonn, Germany and professor Walter from the University of Michigan on this project.

Šulc has used his group’s computer modeling tools to gain insights into design and operation of this leaf-spring nano engine. The structure is comprised of almost 14,000 nucleotides, which form the basic structural units of DNA. "Being able to simulate motion in such a large nanostructure would be impossible without oxDNA, the computer model that our group uses for design and design of DNA nanostructures," explains Šulc. " It is the first time that a chemically powered DNA nanotechnology motor has been successfully engineered. We are very excited that our research methods could help with studying it, and are looking forward to building even more complex nanodevices in the future." .

This novel type of engine is similar to a hand grip strength trainer that strengthens your grip when used regularly. However, the motor is around one million times smaller. Two handles are connected by a spring in a V-shaped structure.

In a hand grip strength trainer, you squeeze the handles together against the resistance of the spring. Once you release your grip, the spring pushes the handles back to their original position. "Our motor uses a very similar principle," says professor Michael Famulok from the Life and Medical Sciences (LIMES) Institute at the University of Bonn. "But the handles are not pressed together but rather pulled together." .

The researchers have repurposed a mechanism without which there would be no plants or animals on Earth. Every cell is equipped with a sort of library. It contains the blueprints for all types of proteins that each cell needs to perform its function. If the cell wants to produce a certain type of protein, it orders a copy from the respective blueprint. This transcript is produced by the enzymes called RNA polymerases.

The original blueprint consists of long strands of DNA. The RNA polymerases move along these strands and copy the stored information letter by letter. "We took an RNA polymerase and attached it to one of the handles in our nanomachine," explains Famulok, who is also a member of the transdisciplinary research areas "Life & Health" and "Matter" at the University of Bonn. "In close proximity, we also strained a DNA strand between the two handles. The polymerase grabs on to this strand to copy it. It pulls itself along the strand and the non-transcribed section becomes increasingly smaller. This pulls the second handle bit by bit towards the first one, compressing the spring at the same time." .

The DNA strand then slides through the spring and stretches it out again, pushing on the handles and making them move back to their original position. This process is repeated over and over again, driving the nano engine with its own ‘energy’ from the DNA strand.