Scholarlink

<p>Autonomous molecular machines capable of converting chemical energy into mechanical motion are foundational components for synthetic nanoscale systems. Inspired by biological motors, we report the construction of a tunable, RNA-fueled DNA origami engine that drives the cyclic movement of a 500 nm-diameter particle at the microscale. The engine operates via sequential RNA–DNA hybridization and enzymatic cleavage by RNase H, enabling reversible switching between folded and unfolded conformations without external intervention. By modulating RNA and enzyme concentrations and controlling temperature, we achieve tunable switching kinetics, with transition periods as short as ~10 s. Kinetic modeling reveals that the folding pathway is governed by both productive RNA binding and the enzymatic clearance of misfolded intermediates, while unfolding is primarily controlled by RNase H activity. Since the RNA fuel binds specifically to the DNA strands, each engine is addressable simply by changing the sequences. This work demonstrates a programmable, self-resetting molecular actuator and offers a blueprint for building more complex nanomechanical systems with forces and energies comparable to molecular motors.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

A tunable autonomous RNA-fueled micro-engine

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月25日

查看全文
  • Kun Wang,
  • Wenjun Chen,
  • Buming Guo,
  • Qiuyan Huang,
  • Guolong Zhu,
  • Heng Ni,
  • Lei Zhang,
  • Melanie Perez,
  • Ruojie Sha,
  • Nadrian C. Seeman,
  • Paul M. Chaikin

摘要

Autonomous molecular machines capable of converting chemical energy into mechanical motion are foundational components for synthetic nanoscale systems. Inspired by biological motors, we report the construction of a tunable, RNA-fueled DNA origami engine that drives the cyclic movement of a 500 nm-diameter particle at the microscale. The engine operates via sequential RNA–DNA hybridization and enzymatic cleavage by RNase H, enabling reversible switching between folded and unfolded conformations without external intervention. By modulating RNA and enzyme concentrations and controlling temperature, we achieve tunable switching kinetics, with transition periods as short as ~10 s. Kinetic modeling reveals that the folding pathway is governed by both productive RNA binding and the enzymatic clearance of misfolded intermediates, while unfolding is primarily controlled by RNase H activity. Since the RNA fuel binds specifically to the DNA strands, each engine is addressable simply by changing the sequences. This work demonstrates a programmable, self-resetting molecular actuator and offers a blueprint for building more complex nanomechanical systems with forces and energies comparable to molecular motors.