Scientists in the US have used DNA tiles to build a range of nanostructures with potential applications in bio-nanotechnology.

Hao Yan and colleagues at Arizona State University used a combinatorial modular approach to self-assemble DNA nanostructures by combining four DNA tile pieces. The researchers constructed simple shapes such as a square and a chair by varying the connectivity and position of the different tiles. 

According to Yan, nanostructures with different shapes and precisely controlled dimensions could be created without significantly increasing the number of tiles needed. 'We are trying to harness the elegance of nature's design and apply DNA as a nano-scale building material,' said Yan.

DNA nanostructures could be used as scaffolds to organize other molecules ranging from proteins and carbohydrates to nanoparticles, said Yan. Potentially, they could be used to make nanoparticle arrays with applications in bio-sensing devices. 

Yan said a major challenge is to extend the two-dimensional structures into three-dimensional objects.

This research will be published as part of special 'DNA-based nano-architectures and nano-machines' themed issue of Organic & Bimolecular Chemistry, guest edited by Itamar WiIlner from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. The special issue will be available in print in September 2006.

Jenna Wilson