Poster abstracts
Poster number 32 submitted by Ariel Robbins
Leveraging a DNA origami hinge as a tool for broadening the range of forces a force spectrometer can apply.
Ariel Robbins (Biophysics)
Abstract:
DNA origami nanotechnology is a rapidly developing field that shows promise in scientific applications such as mechanically aided drug delivery, molecular sensing, and probing of single molecule dynamics. Complex and dynamic 3-dimensional structures can perform a prescribed function through controlled actuation making their use precise and reproducible. The endogenous nature of the DNA building blocks makes it well suited for biological applications due to its ability to hybridize with both biological and inorganic systems (such as gold nanoparticles). This versatility makes DNA origami a valuable tool for mechanistic studies of biological systems in which physical perturbation is necessary. Force spectroscopy is one such field that can benefit greatly from the use of DNA origami as an intermediary between the biological system and the perturbative force. By leveraging the dynamic properties of scaffolded DNA origami, this work will expand on the capabilities of force spectrometers such as optical and magnetic tweezers. Typically, these instruments use a dsDNA tether to apply tensile forces to a biomolecule of interest. Force experiments on biomolecules using dsDNA handles are subject to force limitations due to a structural transition in the DNA that occurs around 60 pN. To circumvent this limitation, we hypothesize that a DNA origami hinge can amplify the force applied by the spectrometer to a biomolecule of interest via a lever and fulcrum geometry. This work uses a DNA hairpin as an example biomolecule embed between the two arms of the hinge. Using the dsDNA handles to pull on, we will use the arms of the hinge as a lever to pull on the embedded hairpin structure. By varying the distance of the handle anchor points from the hinge vertex, we expect that the apparent force felt by the embedded hairpin can be modulated without overextending the dsDNA handles.
Keywords: DNA Origami, Force Spectroscopy