1. DNA-Tile Structures Induce Ionic Currents through Lipid Membranes
- Author
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Kerstin Göpfrich, Ulrich F. Keyser, Thomas Zettl, Samet Kocabey, Anna E. C. Meijering, Tim Liedl, and Silvia Hernández-Ainsa
- Subjects
Materials science ,Membrane lipids ,Lipid Bilayers ,Bioengineering ,Nanotechnology ,02 engineering and technology ,Gating ,Biosensing Techniques ,010402 general chemistry ,01 natural sciences ,Membrane Lipids ,DNA nanotechnology ,General Materials Science ,Lipid bilayer ,Ion channel ,Transmembrane channels ,Mechanical Engineering ,General Chemistry ,DNA ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Condensed Matter Physics ,0104 chemical sciences ,Nanostructures ,Membrane ,Biophysics ,Nucleic Acid Conformation ,Self-assembly ,0210 nano-technology - Abstract
Self-assembled DNA nanostructures have been used to create man-made transmembrane channels in lipid bilayers. Here, we present a DNA-tile structure with a nominal subnanometer channel and cholesterol-tags for membrane anchoring. With an outer diameter of 5 nm and a molecular weight of 45 kDa, the dimensions of our synthetic nanostructure are comparable to biological ion channels. Because of its simple design, the structure self-assembles within a minute, making its creation scalable for applications in biology. Ionic current recordings demonstrate that the tile structures enable ion conduction through lipid bilayers and show gating and voltage-switching behavior. By demonstrating the design of DNA-based membrane channels with openings much smaller than that of the archetypical six-helix bundle, our work showcases their versatility inspired by the rich diversity of natural membrane components.
- Published
- 2015