据8月7日的《科学》杂志报道说，研究人员设计出一种让DNA弯转扭曲成为不同的新的形状的方法，这种变形可能在某一天在体内被用于递送药物、修建组织或用于研究蛋白质单体的纳米尺度的装置中。 这些发现将为纳米技术领域提供一种构建具有连续性曲率物体的方法。） 为了比较，请想象如果我们无法在微米尺度制造弯曲的物体的话，我们将不会有轮子、拱形结构、钩子等物体。
Hendrik Dietz及其同僚现在描述了一种在纳米尺度制造连续曲率形状的方法。 他们设计出了以蜂巢格构方式排列的DNA螺旋束。 这些螺旋结构中有一些具有插入的额外DNA碱基对，而另外一些螺旋结构中的碱基对则有缺失，这些都会产生出有助于DNA束装配成为致密纳米尺度物体的应力。 应用这种方法，研究人员可以控制DNA弯曲的方向和程度，甚至能够让DNA分子以非常紧密的角度弯曲。 文章的作者结合不同的弯曲成分来建造诸如齿轮和沙滩球等复杂的形状。 Yan Liu 与 Hao Yan在一篇相关的Perspective 中讨论了这项研究工作。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
Science 7 August 2009:DOI: 10.1126/science.1174251
Folding DNA into Twisted and Curved Nanoscale Shapes
Hendrik Dietz,1,2,* Shawn M. Douglas,1,2,3 William M. Shih1,2,3,
We demonstrate the ability to engineer complex shapes that twist and curve at the nanoscale from DNA. Through programmable self-assembly, strands of DNA are directed to form a custom-shaped bundle of tightly cross-linked double helices, arrayed in parallel to their helical axes. Targeted insertions and deletions of base pairs cause the DNA bundles to develop twist of either handedness or to curve. The degree of curvature could be quantitatively controlled, and a radius of curvature as tight as 6 nanometers was achieved. We also combined multiple curved elements to build several different types of intricate nanostructures, such as a wireframe beach ball or square-toothed gears.
1 Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
2 Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
3 Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
