What is DNA nanotechnology
DNA nanotechnology is a nanotechnology division focused on using certain properties of DNA and other nucleic acids to create more complex structures. The DNA is here used more as a structural component rather than a carrier of genetic material.
One of the characteristics of DNA is molecular recognition, and that’s what makes creating DNA complexes possible. DNA is normally a linear molecule, unbranched. Now, it is possible to combine, for example, four individual complementary DNA molecules to create a four-arm complex. Of course, chains have to be complementary to connect (due to Watson-Crick rule – base pairing).
One of the most important junctions that can be made by using this process is DX or double crossover. Here we have two DNA duplexes which share two junction spots, and strands cross from one duplex into another.
There are more types of arrays — one-, two- and three-dimensional. An example of 1D arrays are DNA nanotubes, 2D is present in a process called DNA origami, and DNA polyhedra is 3D.
All the DNA complexes that are made change their properties upon a certain stimulus. There are DNA machines, which are actually machines made from DNA. The most famous one is molecular tweezers. DNA nanotechnology is applied in DNA nanocomputing.
