Reversibly Switching the
Surface Porosity of a DNA Tetrahedron
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Abstract
The ability to reversibly switch the surface porosity
of nanocages would allow controllable matter transport in and out
of the nanocages. This would be a desirable property for many technological
applications, such as drug delivery. To achieve such capability, however,
is challenging. Herein we report a strategy for reversibly changing
the surface porosity of a self-assembled DNA nanocage (a DNA tetrahedron)
that is based on DNA hydridization and strand displacement. The involved
DNA nanostructures were thoroughly characterized by multiple techniques,
including polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, dynamic light scattering,
atomic force microscopy, and cryogenic electron microscopy. This work
may lead to the design and construction of stimuli-responsive nanocages
that might find applications as smart materials