Counterions influence the isothermal self-assembly of DNA nanostructures

Authors: Arlin Rodriguez, Bharath Raj Madhanagopal, Kahini Sarkar, Zohreh Nowzari, Johnsi Mathivanan, Hannah Talbot, Akul Patel, Vinod Morya, Ken Halvorsen, Sweta Vangaveti, J. Andrew Berglund, Arun Richard Chandrasekaran

Published: 2025-03-12

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adu7366

Source: Full article


Abstract

DNA nanostructures are typically assembled by thermal annealing in buffers containing magnesium. We demonstrate the assembly of DNA nanostructures at constant temperatures ranging from 4° to 50°C in solutions containing different counterions. The choice of counterions and the assembly temperature influence the isothermal assembly of several DNA motifs and designed three-dimensional DNA crystals. Molecular dynamics simulations show more fluctuations of the DNA structure in select monovalent ions (Na