Erik Benson, Karolinska Institutet

Wireframe DNA nanostructures
Wireframe design is widely used in macroscopic construction as it offers superior strength to weight ratio compared to solid beams. In the last decade DNA origami has been established as a robust method for production of two and three dimensional objects at the nanoscale. We recently developed software tools for designing DNA origami structures from arbitrary wireframe meshes. The software consists of a routing algorithm for finding the path of the scaffold strand through the structure and vHelix, a plug-in for Autodesk Maya that allows for direct 3D design and editing of DNA nanostructures.

We demonstrate this by producing multiple 2D and 3D structures from wireframe meshes and characterize them with AFM, TEM and cryo-tomography, revealing both 3D shape and internal mesh features. In addition to the structural capabilities, we demonstrate that this DNA origami design paradigm, in contrast to previous variants, yields structures that are stable in salt conditions that are commonly used in biological assays. We also find that 2D structures designed by this method cover around 70% more area than classic DNA origami designs.   

Host: Professor Kurt V. Gothelf, iNANO & Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University