Researchers have designed a DNA molecule that can 'walk' for two-and-a-half steps in a predetermined direction along a DNA track.
Nadrian Seeman at New York University and his colleagues created a 49-nanometre-long track of bound DNA strands with loops, and a single-stranded DNA 'walker' molecule. The walker ratchets itself along when its front 'leg' binds to the next loop on the track, triggering a reaction that frees the back leg. Chemical analyses showed the walker took a step 74% of the time.
The team is exploring other chemical reactions besides base-pair binding to drive the walkers. If such constructs can be designed to carry cargo, they could be used to build molecular complexes, the researchers say.
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Biophysics: DNA made for walking. Nature 458, 682–683 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/458682f
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/458682f