Vesicle Tubulation with Self-Assembling DNA Nanosprings

Abstract

A major goal of nanotechnology and bioengineering is to build artificial nanomachines capable of generating specific membrane curvatures on demand. Inspired by natural membrane-deforming proteins, we designed DNA-origami curls that polymerize into nanosprings and show their efficacy in vesicle deformation. DNA-coated membrane tubules emerge from spherical vesicles when DNA-origami polymerization or high membrane-surface coverage occurs. Unlike many previous methods, the DNA self-assembly-mediated membrane tubulation eliminates the need for detergents or top-down manipulation. The DNA-origami design and deformation conditions have substantial influence on the tubulation efficiency and tube morphology, underscoring the intricate interplay between lipid bilayers and vesicle-deforming DNA structures.

Keywords: DNA nanotechnology; DNA origami; membrane deformation; self-assembly; vesicles.