Abstract: The biological functionality of nucleic acids is underpinned by the strong selectivity and reversibility of base-pairing interactions, features that also make synthetic DNA an ideal material for constructing artificial nanoscopic objects with exquisitely defined shape and functionality.
In many cases, useful behaviours can be attained by constructing synthetic DNA nanostructures that mimic the shape or response of biological machinery, such as membrane receptors, molecular motors and enzymes.
In this lecture I will give an overview of my groups’ research on biomimetic DNA nanotechnology, and exemplify its versatility and applicability to diverse contexts, from the study of the statistical mechanics of cell-membrane adhesion and the creation of synthetic tissue-like materials [1-3], to the self-assembly of responsive nanoporous phases and nanoparticles [4-5], to the super-resolved optical detection of protein pairs in biological cells [6].
[1] L. Parolini, B. M. Mognetti, J. Kotar, E. Eiser, P. Cicuta, and L. Di Michele, Nature Comm., 6:5948 (2015)
[2] L. Parolini, J. Kotar, L. Di Michele*, and B. M. Mognetti*, ACS Nano, 10(2) 2392-2398 (2016)
[3] B.M Mognetti*, P. Cicuta* and L. Di Michele*, Rep. Prog. Phys., 82, 116601 (2019)
[4] R.A. Brady, N.J. Brooks, P. Cicuta and L. Di Michele, Nano Lett., 17 3276-3281 (2017)
[5] R.A. Brady, N.J. Brooks, V. Fodera, P. Cicuta and L. Di Michele, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 140 15384-15392 (2018)
[6] T. Lutz, W.T. Kaufhold, A.H. Clowsley, A. Meletiou, L. Di Michele and C. Soeller, biorXiv
DOI: doi.org/10.1101/591081