Combinatorial self-assembly of DNA nanostructures

A modular design of self - assembly of DNA nanostructures in a combinatorial approach is reported. The design and construction of periodic or complex nanostructures using branched DNA building blocks ( DNA tiles ) is being backed by structural DNA nanotechnology. Modular design and reuse of DNA tiles in self-assembly allows the tuning of lattice patterns without modifying the majority of building blocks. The sequences of the sticky-ends were designed to allow for the connection of the tiles in three different patterns namely the square structure, chair structure and line structure. The square structure contains four corner tiles and four linker tiles, chair structure combines the four corner tiles and three linker tiles, and line structure combines the four corner tiles and three linker tiles. The combination of this newly developed technology coupled with several other strategies can open possibilities to assemble more complex superstructures of different building blocks.