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DNA as Construction Equipment

Posted by Hemos on from the fun-with-building dept.

vivekb writes "Scientists at Ruhr University in Germany are using DNA to assemble microscopic structures. They attached matched DNA strands to construction materials, and use the DNA as an highly selective bonding agent. So far, basic polyhedra have been manufactured using gold spheres. The BBC presents this article. The paper is entitled Self-Assembly of Trisoligonucleotidyls. "

2 of 37 comments (clear)

  1. Thanks -- informed analysis useful by Morgaine · · Score: 3

    We need people with a good overview of the field to make informed comment and separate the wheat from the chaff in areas such as biotech, which is outside of the sphere of competence of many inorganic materials-based nanotech experts.

    How about creating a website devoted to such analysis? It could be a valuable resource.

    --
    "The question of whether machines can think is no more interesting than [] whether submarines can swim" - Dijkstra
  2. DNA, RNA and BBC by jw3 · · Score: 4
    1. There is a saying in polish, which seems apriopriate in this case. You could say, BBC "discovered America". This usage of DNA they describe isn't anything new at all - DNA as a "velcro" to attach molecules has been used in mol. biol. since many years. DNA pairing is not an issue. They completly missed the point regarding Kiedrowskis research.
    2. Kiedrowski is one of the guys who's research led to the discovery of rybozymes - self-modifying, RNA-based molecules, which can even in a certain way replicate themselves. RNA research is much more promissing at this point than DNA research - RNA molecules tend to have a much more complicated structure and sometimes carry enzymatic activities. It is now a widely accepted view that the life started with self-replicating and self-encoding RNA molecules. For the difference between DNA and RNA molecules only one oxygene atom is responsible, lacking in DNA (therefore, deoxyribonucleic acid). He re is an abstract of an article by Kiedrowski about self-replicating molecules.
    3. Both DNA and RNA are prone to enzymes called nucleases. RNA is especially fragile - it is enough to touch the cap of a propylene tube containing RNA sample with a bare finger - and there goes a week of your research, because there are plenty of RNases (enzymes digesting RNA) on your fingers. DNA is much more stable, but still you have to store it in -20 in a buffer containing EDTA, a chemical which binds to metall iones, which are necessary for DNases to work (RNases are very hard to get rid off: boiling, cleaning with ethanol doesn't help).
    4. This is an abstract of the research report written by Kiedrowski himself. English translation is lower down the page.
    5. As for "velcro" properties of DNA for constructing nanobots, I have a better proposition - there is a type of synthetic molecules, which are called "peptide-nucleic acids" (PNAs). In this molecules, instead of the riboze (which is a sugar) and phosphoric acid residues, the "spine" of a moleucle consists of a pseudopeptide. In fact, PNAs are not acidic - and this is very important. When two single strand DNA molecules bind, they have to overcome the negative charge they bear. In fact, to make them do it, you have to provide sufficient salt concentration in the solution where the binding (hybridization) takes place. PNAs are not acidic => have no charge at all => can even bind in water. And they are much more stable than other nucleic acids. On this page you can find many sources of information about PNAs.
    6. There are much better sources of easy-to-read, but scientifically sound articles about current research in biology and other fields - Nature Science Update - a very good site for a start, updated daily.

    Regards,

    January

    P.S. When /. posts a reference to an article about computers, it is usually worth reading. When /. posts a reference to an article about biotech, don't bother.