Title: Kinetic Trans-assembly of DNA Nanostructures,
Abstract: The central dogma of molecular biology is the principal framework for
understanding how nucleic acid information is propagated and used by living
systems to create complex biomolecules. Here, by integrating the structural and
dynamic paradigms of DNA nanotechnology, we present a rationally designed
synthetic platform which functions in an analogous manner to create complex DNA
nanostructures. Starting from one type of DNA nanostructure, DNA strand
displacement circuits were designed to interact and pass along the information
encoded in the initial structure to mediate the self-assembly of a different
type of structure, the final output structure depending on the type of circuit
triggered. Using this concept of a DNA structure "trans-assembling" a different
DNA structure through non-local strand displacement circuitry, four different
schemes were implemented. Specifically, 1D ladder and 2D double-crossover (DX)
lattices were designed to kinetically trigger DNA circuits to activate
polymerization of either ring structures or another type of DX lattice under
enzyme-free, isothermal conditions. In each scheme, the desired multilayer
reaction pathway was activated, among multiple possible pathways, ultimately
leading to the downstream self-assembly of the correct output structure.