Scientists at Scripps research have created a single, clonable strand of DNA that folds into a highly rigid, nanoscale octahedron about 22 nanometers in diameter.

Because all twelve edges of the octahedral structures have unique sequences, they are versatile molecular building blocks that could potentially be used to self-assemble complex higher-order structures.

Possible applications include building nano-scale transistors and using these octahedra as artificial compartments into which proteins or other molecules could be inserted for the purposes of x-ray crystallography, which depends on growing well-ordered crystals composed of arrays of molecules.

This process also has the potential to be scaled up so that large amounts of uniform DNA nanomaterials can be produced. These octahedra are potential building blocks for future projects, from new tools for basic biomedical science to the tiny computers of tomorrow.

The article, “A 1.7-kilobase single-stranded DNA that folds into a nanoscale octahedron,” was authored by William M. Shih, Joel D. Quispe, and Gerald F. Joyce and appears in the February 12, 2004 issue of the journal Nature.

Scripps Research Institute press release