Using DNA to construct and power a nanoactuator - art. no. 041913

A DNA-based molecular machine is described which has two movable arms that are pushed apart when a strand of DNA, the fuel strand, hybridizes with a s ingle-stranded region of the molecular machine. Through the process of bran ch migration, a second strand of DNA complementary to the fuel strand is ab le to remove the fuel strand from the molecular machine, restoring it to it s original configuration. Compared with the molecular tweezers we had previ ously devised, this machine, which we call a nanoactuator, has a reduced te ndency to form dimers.