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The observation of DNA nanodevices at a single molecule (i.e., device) level and in real time provides rich information that is typically masked in ensemble measurements. Single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) offers a means to directly follow dynamic conformational or compositional changes that DNA nanodevices undergo while operating, thereby retrieving insights critical for refining them toward optimal function. To be successful, smFRET measurements require careful execution and meticulous data analysis for robust statistics. Here we outline the elemental steps for smFRET experiments on DNA nanodevices, starting from microscope slide preparation for single-molecule observation to data acquisition and analysis., (© 2023. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Extracellular DNA is engulfed by innate immune cells and digested by endosomal DNase II to generate an immune response. Quantitative information on endosomal stage-specific cargo processing is a critical parameter to predict and model the innate immune response. Biochemical assays quantify endosomal processing but lack organelle-specific information, while fluorescence microscopy has provided the latter without the former. Herein, we report a single molecule counting method based on fluorescence imaging that quantitatively maps endosomal processing of cargo DNA in innate immune cells with organelle-specific resolution. Our studies reveal that endosomal DNA degradation occurs mainly in lysosomes and is negligible in late endosomes. This method can be used to study cargo processing in diverse endocytic pathways and measure stage-specific activity of processing factors in endosomes., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Conventional methods for detecting small quantities of nucleic acids require amplification by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which necessitates prior purification and introduces copying errors. While amplification-free methods do not have these shortcomings, they are generally orders of magnitude less sensitive and specific than PCR-based methods. In this review, we provide a practical guide to a novel amplification-free method, single-molecule recognition through equilibrium Poisson sampling (SiMREPS), that provides both single-molecule sensitivity and single-base selectivity by monitoring the repetitive interactions of fluorescent probes to immobilized targets. We demonstrate how this kinetic fingerprinting filters out background arising from the inevitable nonspecific binding of probes, yielding virtually zero background signal. As practical applications of this digital detection methodology, we present the quantification of microRNA miR-16 and the detection of the mutation EGFR L858R with an apparent single-base discrimination factor of over 3 million., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Conventional techniques for detecting rare DNA sequences require many cycles of PCR amplification for high sensitivity and specificity, potentially introducing significant biases and errors. While amplification-free methods exist, they rarely achieve the ability to detect single molecules, and their ability to discriminate between single-nucleotide variants is often dictated by the specificity limits of hybridization thermodynamics. Here we show that a direct detection approach using single-molecule kinetic fingerprinting can surpass the thermodynamic discrimination limit by 3 orders of magnitude, with a dynamic range of up to 5 orders of magnitude with optional super-resolution analysis. This approach detects mutations as subtle as the drug-resistance-conferring cancer mutation EGFR T790M (a single C → T substitution) with an estimated specificity of 99.99999%, surpassing even the leading PCR-based methods and enabling detection of 1 mutant molecule in a background of at least 1 million wild-type molecules. This level of specificity revealed rare, heat-induced cytosine deamination events that introduce false positives in PCR-based detection, but which can be overcome in our approach through milder thermal denaturation and enzymatic removal of damaged nucleobases.

Biological motors are highly complex protein assemblies that generate linear or rotary motion, powered by chemical energy. Synthetic motors based on DNA nanostructures, bio-hybrid designs or synthetic organic chemistry have been assembled. However, unidirectionally rotating biomimetic wheel motors with rotor-stator units that consume chemical energy are elusive. Here, we report a bio-hybrid nanoengine consisting of a catalytic stator that unidirectionally rotates an interlocked DNA wheel, powered by NTP hydrolysis. The engine consists of an engineered T7 RNA polymerase (T7RNAP-ZIF) attached to a dsDNA nanoring that is catenated to a rigid rotating dsDNA wheel. The wheel motor produces long, repetitive RNA transcripts that remain attached to the engine and are used to guide its movement along predefined ssDNA tracks arranged on a DNA nanotube. The simplicity of the design renders this walking nanoengine adaptable to other biological nanoarchitectures, facilitating the construction of complex bio-hybrid structures that achieve NTP-driven locomotion.

In nature, the catalytic efficiency of multienzyme complexes highly depends on their spatial organization. The positions and orientations of the composite enzymes are often precisely controlled to facilitate substrate transport between them. Self-assembled DNA nanostructures hold great promise for organizing biomolecules at the nanoscale. Here, we present detailed protocols for exploiting DNA nanostructures as assembly scaffolds that organize the spatial arrangements of multienzyme cascades with control over their relative distance, compartmentalization and substrate diffusion paths. The protocol describes the preparation and purification of DNA-conjugated enzymes and cofactors, along with the assembly of these prepared complexes on DNA nanostructures. The architecture of assembled enzyme complexes is then readily characterized using a broad selection of techniques from routine gel electrophoresis to advanced single-molecule imaging. We also describe methods of purifying these nano-assemblies and testing them with functional assays based on either bulk or single-molecule fluorescence measurements. The entire assembly and characterization of a multienzyme complex can be completed within 1-2 weeks.

Cells routinely compartmentalize enzymes for enhanced efficiency of their metabolic pathways. Here we report a general approach to construct DNA nanocaged enzymes for enhancing catalytic activity and stability. Nanocaged enzymes are realized by self-assembly into DNA nanocages with well-controlled stoichiometry and architecture that enabled a systematic study of the impact of both encapsulation and proximal polyanionic surfaces on a set of common metabolic enzymes. Activity assays at both bulk and single-molecule levels demonstrate increased substrate turnover numbers for DNA nanocage-encapsulated enzymes. Unexpectedly, we observe a significant inverse correlation between the size of a protein and its activity enhancement. This effect is consistent with a model wherein distal polyanionic surfaces of the nanocage enhance the stability of active enzyme conformations through the action of a strongly bound hydration layer. We further show that DNA nanocages protect encapsulated enzymes against proteases, demonstrating their practical utility in functional biomaterials and biotechnology.

The control of enzymatic reactions using nanoscale DNA devices offers a powerful application of DNA nanotechnology uniquely derived from actuation. However, previous characterization of enzymatic reaction rates using bulk biochemical assays reported suboptimal function of DNA devices such as tweezers. To gain mechanistic insight into this deficiency and to identify design rules to improve their function, here we exploit the synergy of single molecule imaging and computational modeling to characterize the three-dimensional structures and catalytic functions of DNA tweezer-actuated nanoreactors. Our analysis revealed two important deficiencies--incomplete closure upon actuation and conformational heterogeneity. Upon rational redesign of the Holliday junctions located at their hinge and arms, we found that the DNA tweezers could be more completely and uniformly closed. A novel single molecule enzyme assay was developed to demonstrate that our design improvements yield significant, independent enhancements in the fraction of active enzyme nanoreactors and their individual substrate turnover frequencies. The sequence-level design strategies explored here may aid more broadly in improving the performance of DNA-based nanodevices including biological and chemical sensors.

DNA provides an ideal substrate for the engineering of versatile nanostructures due to its reliable Watson-Crick base pairing and well-characterized conformation. One of the most promising applications of DNA nanostructures arises from the site-directed spatial arrangement with nanometer precision of guest components such as proteins, metal nanoparticles, and small molecules. Two-dimensional DNA origami architectures, in particular, offer a simple design, high yield of assembly, and large surface area for use as a nanoplatform. However, such single-layer DNA origami were recently found to be structurally polymorphous due to their high flexibility, leading to the development of conformationally restrained multilayered origami that lack some of the advantages of the single-layer designs. Here we monitored single-layer DNA origami by transmission electron microscopy (EM) and discovered that their conformational heterogeneity is dramatically reduced in the presence of a low concentration of dimethyl sulfoxide, allowing for an efficient flattening onto the carbon support of an EM grid. We further demonstrated that streptavidin and a biotinylated target protein (cocaine esterase, CocE) can be captured at predesignated sites on these flattened origami while maintaining their functional integrity. Our demonstration that protein assemblies can be constructed with high spatial precision (within ∼2 nm of their predicted position on the platforms) by using strategically flattened single-layer origami paves the way for exploiting well-defined guest molecule assemblies for biochemistry and nanotechnology applications.

Swinging arms are a key functional component of multistep catalytic transformations in many naturally occurring multi-enzyme complexes. This arm is typically a prosthetic chemical group that is covalently attached to the enzyme complex via a flexible linker, allowing the direct transfer of substrate molecules between multiple active sites within the complex. Mimicking this method of substrate channelling outside the cellular environment requires precise control over the spatial parameters of the individual components within the assembled complex. DNA nanostructures can be used to organize functional molecules with nanoscale precision and can also provide nanomechanical control. Until now, protein-DNA assemblies have been used to organize cascades of enzymatic reactions by controlling the relative distance and orientation of enzymatic components or by facilitating the interface between enzymes/cofactors and electrode surfaces. Here, we show that a DNA nanostructure can be used to create a multi-enzyme complex in which an artificial swinging arm facilitates hydride transfer between two coupled dehydrogenases. By exploiting the programmability of DNA nanostructures, key parameters including position, stoichiometry and inter-enzyme distance can be manipulated for optimal activity.

DNA nanotechnology enables the precise construction of nanoscale devices that mimic aspects of natural biomolecular systems yet exhibit robustly programmable behavior. While many important biological processes involve dynamic interactions between components associated with phospholipid membranes, little progress has been made toward creating synthetic mimics of such interfacial systems. We report the assembly and characterization of cholesterol-labeled DNA origami "barges" capable of reversible association with and lateral diffusion on supported lipid bilayers. Using single-particle fluorescence microscopy, we show that these DNA barges rapidly and stably embed in lipid bilayers and exhibit Brownian diffusion in a manner dependent on both cholesterol labeling and bilayer composition. Tracking of individual barges rapidly generates super-resolution maps of the contiguous regions of a membrane. Addition of appropriate command oligonucleotides enables membrane-associated barges to reversibly exchange fluorescent cargo with bulk solution, dissociate from the membrane, or form oligomers within the membrane, opening up new possibilities for programmable membrane-bound molecular devices.

We use single-particle fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to show that organizing oligonucleotide probes into patterned two-dimensional arrays on DNA origami nanopegboards significantly alters the kinetics and thermodynamics of their hybridization with complementary targets in solution. By systematically varying the spacing of probes, we demonstrate that the rate of dissociation of a target is reduced by an order of magnitude in the densest probe arrays. The rate of target binding is reduced less dramatically, but to a greater extent than reported previously for one-dimensional probe arrays. By additionally varying target sequence and buffer composition, we provide evidence for two distinct mechanisms for the markedly slowed dissociation: direct hopping of targets between adjacent sequence-matched probes and nonsequence-specific, salt-bridged, and thus attractive electrostatic interactions with the DNA origami pegboard. This kinetic behavior varies little between individual copies of a given array design and will have significant impact on hybridization measurements and overall performance of DNA nanodevices as well as microarrays.

We employ the single-particle fluorescence nanoscopy technique points accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography (PAINT) using site-specific DNA probes to acquire two-dimensional density maps of specific features patterned on nanoscale DNA origami pegboards. We show that PAINT has a localization accuracy of ~10 nm that is sufficient to reliably distinguish dense (>10(4) features μm(-2)) sub-100 nm patterns of oligonucleotide features. We employ two-color PAINT to follow enzyme-catalyzed modification of features on individual origami and to show that single nanopegboards exhibit stable, spatially heterogeneous probe-binding patterns, or "fingerprints." Finally, we present experimental and modeling evidence suggesting that these fingerprints may arise from feature spacing variations that locally modulate the probe binding kinetics. Our study highlights the power of fluorescence nanoscopy to perform quality control on individual soft nanodevices that interact with and position reagents in solution.

Nucleic acid nanotechnology exploits the programmable molecular recognition properties of natural and synthetic nucleic acids to assemble structures with nanometer-scale precision. In 2006, DNA origami transformed the field by providing a versatile platform for self-assembly of arbitrary shapes from one long DNA strand held in place by hundreds of short, site-specific (spatially addressable) DNA 'staples'. This revolutionary approach has led to the creation of a multitude of two-dimensional and three-dimensional scaffolds that form the basis for functional nanodevices. Not limited to nucleic acids, these nanodevices can incorporate other structural and functional materials, such as proteins and nanoparticles, making them broadly useful for current and future applications in emerging fields such as nanomedicine, nanoelectronics, and alternative energy., (Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Extracellular DNA is engulfed by innate immune cells and digested by endosomal DNase II to generate an immune response. Quantitative information on endosomal stage‐specific cargo processing is a critical parameter to predict and model the innate immune response. Biochemical assays quantify endosomal processing but lack organelle‐specific information, while fluorescence microscopy has provided the latter without the former. Herein, we report a single molecule counting method based on fluorescence imaging that quantitatively maps endosomal processing of cargo DNA in innate immune cells with organelle‐specific resolution. Our studies reveal that endosomal DNA degradation occurs mainly in lysosomes and is negligible in late endosomes. This method can be used to study cargo processing in diverse endocytic pathways and measure stage‐specific activity of processing factors in endosomes. Elementary, my dear Watson: Organellar single‐molecule, high‐resolution localization and counting (oSHiRLoC), a fluorescence imaging method for the quantitative mapping of the endosomal processing of cargo DNA in innate immune cells with organelle‐specific resolution, is reported. By using this method, it is shown that endosomal DNA degradation occurs mainly in lysosomes and is negligible in late endosomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT We examine twist-stretch coupling of unconstrained DNA using polyelectrolyte theory as applied to a line-charge model along with published data on the ionic-strength dependence of the twist angle. We conclude that twist-stretch coupling is negative: environmental changes that stretch free DNA, unconstrained by externally applied pulling or twisting forces, are accompanied by unwinding of the double helix. We also analyze a helical model and conclude that the observed unwinding of the DNA helix when ionic strength is decreased is driven by radial swelling of the helix. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 103: 223-226, 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We review two methods for measuring hybridization kinetics on DNA nanostructures. [•] Single-molecule fluorescence microscopy detects unexpected hybridization anomalies. [•] Single-particle FRET reveals hybridization kinetics dependent on probe density. [•] DNA-PAINT uncovers variable binding kinetics across nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional robots rely for their function on computing, to store internal representations of their goals and environment and to coordinate sensing and any actuation of components required in response. Moving robotics to the single-molecule level is possible in principle, but requires facing the limited ability of individual molecules to store complex information and programs. One strategy to overcome this problem is to use systems that can obtain complex behaviour from the interaction of simple robots with their environment. A first step in this direction was the development of DNA walkers, which have developed from being non-autonomous to being capable of directed but brief motion on one-dimensional tracks. Here we demonstrate that previously developed random walkers—so-called molecular spiders that comprise a streptavidin molecule as an inert ‘body’ and three deoxyribozymes as catalytic ‘legs’—show elementary robotic behaviour when interacting with a precisely defined environment. Single-molecule microscopy observations confirm that such walkers achieve directional movement by sensing and modifying tracks of substrate molecules laid out on a two-dimensional DNA origami landscape. When using appropriately designed DNA origami, the molecular spiders autonomously carry out sequences of actions such as ‘start’, ‘follow’, ‘turn’ and ‘stop’. We anticipate that this strategy will result in more complex robotic behaviour at the molecular level if additional control mechanisms are incorporated. One example might be interactions between multiple molecular robots leading to collective behaviour; another might be the ability to read and transform secondary cues on the DNA origami landscape as a means of implementing Turing-universal algorithmic behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

11F8 is a sequence-specific pathogenic anti-single-stranded (ss)DNA autoantibody isolated from a lupus prone mouse. Site-directed mutagenesis of 11F8 has shown that six binding site residues (R31VH W33VH L97VH, R98VH Y100VH, and Y32VL) contribute 80% of the free energy for complex formation. Mutagenesis results along with intermolecular distances obtained from fluorescence resonance energy transfer were implemented here as restraints to model docking between 11F8 and the sequence-specific ssDNA. The model of the complex suggests that aromatic stacking and two sets of bidentate hydrogen bonds between binding site arginine residues (R31VH and R96VH) and loop nucleotides provide the molecular basis for high affinity and specificity. In part, 11F8 utilizes the same ssDNA binding motif of Y32VL, H91VL, and an aromatic residue in the third complementarity-determining region to recognize thymine-rich sequences as do two anti-ssDNA autoantibodies crystallized in complex with thymine. R31SVH is a dominant somatic mutation found in the J558 germline sequence that is implicated in 11F8 sequence specificity. A model of the mutant R31S11F8•ssDNA complex suggests that different interface contacts occur when serine replaces arginine 31 at the binding site. The modeled contacts between the R31S11F8 mutant and thymine are closely related to those observed in other anti-ssDNA binding antibodies, while we find additional contacts between 11F8 and ssDNA that involve amino acids not utilized by the other antibodies. These data-driven 11F8•ssDNA models provide testable hypotheses concerning interactions that mediate sequence specificity in 11F8 and the effects of somatic mutation on ssDNA recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]