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DNA nanotechnology, specifically, is an example of bottom-up molecular self-assembly, in which molecular components spontaneously organize into stable structures; the particular form of these structures is induced by the physical and chemical properties of the components selected by the designers. [19]
Due to their structure and function, SNAs occupy a materials space distinct from DNA nanotechnology and DNA origami, [20] [21] (although both are important to the field of nucleic acid–guided programmable materials. [22] With DNA origami, such structures are synthesized via DNA hybridization events.
Nucleic acid design is used in DNA nanotechnology to design strands which will self-assemble into a desired target structure. These include examples such as DNA machines, periodic two- and three-dimensional lattices, polyhedra, and DNA origami. [2]
The term has also been used to describe the hierarchical assembly of artificial nucleic acid building blocks used in DNA nanotechnology. [3] The quaternary structure of DNA refers to the formation of chromatin. Because the human genome is so large, DNA must be condensed into chromatin, which consists of repeating units known as nucleosomes.
The chemical structure of DNA is insufficient to understand the complexity of the 3D structures of DNA. In contrast, animated molecular models allow one to visually explore the three-dimensional (3D) structure of DNA. The DNA model shown (far right) is a space-filling, or CPK, model of the DNA double helix. Animated molecular models, such as ...
A nanostructure is a structure of intermediate size between microscopic and molecular structures. Nanostructural detail is microstructure at nanoscale . In describing nanostructures, it is necessary to differentiate between the number of dimensions in the volume of an object which are on the nanoscale .
The method of DNA origami was developed by Paul Rothemund at the California Institute of Technology. [6] In contrast to common top-down fabrication methods such as 3D printing or lithography which involve depositing or removing material through a tool, DNA Nanotechnology, as well as DNA Origami as a subset, is a bottom-up fabrication method.
The double helix is the dominant tertiary structure for biological DNA, and is also a possible structure for RNA. Three DNA conformations are believed to be found in nature, A-DNA, B-DNA, and Z-DNA. The "B" form described by James D. Watson and Francis Crick is believed to predominate in cells. [2]