Programmable Nanodisc Patterning by DNA Origami

Functionalization and higher-order organization of liposomes with DNA nanostructures

Small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) are indispensable model membranes, organelle mimics, and drug and vaccine carriers. However, the lack of robust techniques to functionalize or organize preformed SUVs limits their applications. Here we use DNA nanostructures to coat, cluster, and pattern sub-100-nm liposomes, generating distance-controlled vesicle networks, strings and dimers, among other configurations. The DNA coating also enables attachment of proteins to liposomes, and temporal control of membrane fusion driven by SNARE protein complexes. Such a convenient and versatile method of engineering premade vesicles both structurally and functionally is highly relevant to bottom-up biology and targeted delivery.

Recent Advances in DNA Origami-Engineered Nanomaterials and Applications

DNA nanotechnology is a unique field, where physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, engineering, and materials science can elegantly converge. Since the original proposal of Nadrian Seeman, significant advances have been achieved in the past four decades. During this glory time, the DNA origami technique developed by Paul Rothemund further pushed the field forward with a vigorous momentum, fostering a plethora of concepts, models, methodologies, and applications that were not thought of before. This review focuses on the recent progress in DNA origami-engineered nanomaterials in the past five years, outlining the exciting achievements as well as the unexplored research avenues. We believe that the spirit and assets that Seeman left for scientists will continue to bring interdisciplinary innovations and useful applications to this field in the next decade.

Digital nanoreactors to control absolute stoichiometry and spatiotemporal behavior of DNA receptors within lipid bilayers

Interactions between membrane proteins are essential for cell survival but are often poorly understood. Even the biologically functional ratio of components within a multi-subunit membrane complex-the native stoichiometry-is difficult to establish. Here we demonstrate digital nanoreactors that can control interactions between lipid-bound molecular receptors along three key dimensions: stoichiometric, spatial, and temporal. Each nanoreactor is based on a DNA origami ring, which both templates the synthesis of a liposome and provides tethering sites for DNA-based receptors (modelling membrane proteins). Receptors are released into the liposomal membrane using strand displacement and a DNA logic gate measures receptor heterodimer formation. High-efficiency tethering of receptors enables the kinetics of receptors in 1:1 and 2:2 absolute stoichiometries to be observed by bulk fluorescence, which in principle is generalizable to any ratio. Similar single-molecule-in-bulk experiments using DNA-linked membrane proteins could determine native stoichiometry and the kinetics of membrane protein interactions for applications ranging from signalling research to drug discovery.

Travel light: Essential packing for membrane proteins with an active lifestyle

We review the considerable progress during the recent decade in the endeavours of designing, optimising, and utilising carrier particle systems for structural and functional studies of membrane proteins in near-native environments. New and improved systems are constantly emerging, novel studies push the perceived limits of a given carrier system, and specific carrier systems consolidate and entrench themselves as the system of choice for particular classes of target membrane protein systems. This review covers the most frequently used carrier systems for such studies and emphasises similarities and differences between these systems as well as current trends and future directions for the field. Particular interest is devoted to the biophysical properties and membrane mimicking ability of each system and the manner in which this may impact an embedded membrane protein and an eventual structural or functional study.

Functionalizing DNA origami to investigate and interact with biological systems

DNA origami has emerged as a powerful method to generate DNA nanostructures with dynamic properties and nanoscale control. These nanostructures enable complex biophysical studies and the fabrication of next-generation therapeutic devices. For these applications, DNA origami typically needs to be functionalized with bioactive ligands and biomacromolecular cargos. Here, we review methods developed to functionalize, purify, and characterize DNA origami nanostructures. We identify remaining challenges, such as limitations in functionalization efficiency and characterization. We then discuss where researchers can contribute to further advance the fabrication of functionalized DNA origami.

Nucleic acid nanoassembly-enhanced RNA therapeutics and diagnosis

RNAs are involved in the crucial processes of disease progression and have emerged as powerful therapeutic targets and diagnostic biomarkers. However, efficient delivery of therapeutic RNA to the targeted location and precise detection of RNA markers remains challenging. Recently, more and more attention has been paid to applying nucleic acid nanoassemblies in diagnosing and treating. Due to the flexibility and deformability of nucleic acids, the nanoassemblies could be fabricated with different shapes and structures. With hybridization, nucleic acid nanoassemblies, including DNA and RNA nanostructures, can be applied to enhance RNA therapeutics and diagnosis. This review briefly introduces the construction and properties of different nucleic acid nanoassemblies and their applications for RNA therapy and diagnosis and makes further prospects for their development.

Advances in the DNA Nanotechnology for the Cancer Biomarkers Analysis: Attributes and Applications

The most commonly used clinical methods are enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) in which ELISA was applied for the detection of protein biomarkers and qPCR was especially applied for nucleic acid biomarker analysis. Although these constructed methods have been applied in wide range, they also showed some inherent shortcomings such as low sensitivity, large sample volume and complex operations. At present, many methods have been successfully constructed on the basis of DNA nanotechnology with the merits of high accuracy, rapid and simple operation for cancer biomarkers assay. In this review, we summarized the bioassay strategies based on DNA nanotechnology from the perspective of the analytical attributes for the first time and discussed and the feasibility of the reported strategies for clinical application in the future.

DNA origami-based protein manipulation systems: From function regulation to biological application

Proteins directly participate in tremendous physiological processes and mediate a variety of cellular functions. However, precise manipulation of proteins with predefined relative position and stoichiometry for understanding protein-protein interactions and guiding cellular behaviors are still challenging. With superior programmability of DNA molecules, DNA origami technology is able to construct arbitrary nanostructures that can accurately control the arrangement of proteins with various functionalities to solve these problems. Herein, starting from the classification of DNA origami nanostructures and the category of assembled proteins, we summarize the existing DNA origami-based protein manipulation systems (PMSs), review the advances on the regulation of their functions, and discuss their applications in cellular behavior modulation and disease therapy. Moreover, the limitations and potential directions of DNA origami-based PMSs are also presented, which may offer guidance for rational construction and ingenious application.

Synaptotagmin 1 oligomerization via the juxtamembrane linker regulates spontaneous and evoked neurotransmitter release

Synaptotagmin 1 (syt1) is a synaptic vesicle (SV) protein that is rapidly activated by Ca²⁺ influx into presynaptic nerve terminals, triggering SV exocytosis. Syt1 also inhibits exocytosis, prior to Ca²⁺ influx, and thus helps synchronize evoked exocytosis upon Ca²⁺ binding. Herein, we identified a cluster of lysine residues, in the oft-ignored juxtamembrane linker region of syt1, that governs homo-multimerization in an anionic lipid-dependent manner. Neutralization of this positively charged region abolished syt1 self-association on phospholipid bilayers in vitro. Subsequently, in neurons, we found mutations that disrupted syt1 self-association were correlated with defects in clamping spontaneous SV release and in triggering and synchronizing evoked exocytosis. Thus, syt1 regulates SV exocytosis as an oligomer via charged residues in the juxtamembrane linker.

Synaptotagmin 1 (syt1) is a Ca²⁺ sensor that regulates synaptic vesicle exocytosis. Cell-based experiments suggest that syt1 functions as a multimer; however, biochemical and electron microscopy studies have yielded contradictory findings regarding putative self-association. Here, we performed dynamic light scattering on syt1 in solution, followed by electron microscopy, and we used atomic force microscopy to study syt1 self-association on supported lipid bilayers under aqueous conditions. Ring-like multimers were clearly observed. Multimerization was enhanced by Ca²⁺ and required anionic phospholipids. Large ring-like structures (∼180 nm) were reduced to smaller rings (∼30 nm) upon neutralization of a cluster of juxtamembrane lysine residues; further substitution of residues in the second C2-domain completely abolished self-association. When expressed in neurons, syt1 mutants with graded reductions in self-association activity exhibited concomitant reductions in 1) clamping spontaneous release and 2) triggering and synchronizing evoked release. Thus, the juxtamembrane linker of syt1 plays a crucial role in exocytosis by mediating multimerization.

Programmable, self-assembled DNA nanodevices for cellular programming and tissue engineering

DNA-based nanotechnology has evolved into an autonomous, highly innovative, and dynamic field of research at the nexus of supramolecular chemistry, nanotechnology, materials science, and biotechnology. DNA-based materials, including origami nanodevices, have started to emerge as an ideal scaffold for use in cellular programming, tissue engineering, and drug delivery applications. We cover herein the applications for DNA as a scaffold for interfacing with, and guiding, the activity of biological systems like cells and tissues. Although DNA is a highly programmable molecular building block, it suffers from a lack of functional capacity for guiding and modulating cells. Coupling DNA to biologically active molecules can bestow bioactivity to these nanodevices. The main goal of such nanodevices is to synthesize systems that can bind to cells and mimic the extracellular environment, and serve as a highly promising toolbox for multiple applications in cellular programming and tissue engineering. DNA-based programmable devices offer a highly promising approach for programming collections of cells, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine applications.

One-step construction of circularized nanodiscs using SpyCatcher-SpyTag

Circularized nandiscs (cNDs) exhibit superb monodispersity and have the potential to transform functional and structural studies of membrane proteins. In particular, cNDs can stabilize large patches of lipid bilayers for the reconstitution of complex membrane biochemical reactions, enabling the capture of crucial intermediates involved in synaptic transmission and viral entry. However, previous methods for building cNDs require multiple steps and suffer from low yields. We herein introduce a simple, one-step approach to ease the construction of cNDs using the SpyCatcher-SpyTag technology. This approach increases the yield of cNDs by over 10-fold and is able to rapidly generates cNDs with diameters ranging from 11 to over 100 nm. We demonstrate the utility of these cNDs for mechanistic interrogations of vesicle fusion and protein-lipid interactions that are unattainable using small nanodiscs. Together, the remarkable performance of SpyCatcher-SpyTag in nanodisc circularization paves the way for the use of cNDs in membrane biochemistry and structural biology.

[Application of DNA origami in nanobiomedicine]

The development of DNA nanotechnology make it possible to artificially generate complex nucleic acid nanostructures with controllable sizes and shapes. DNA origami emerges as an effective and versatile approach to construct two- and three-dimensional programmable nanostructures, and represents a milestone in the development of structural DNA nanotechnology. Due to its high degree of controllable geometry, spatial addressability, easy chemical modification and good biocompatibility, DNA origami has great potentials for applications in many fields. In this review, we briefly summarize the applications of DNA origami in antigen-antibody interaction, targeted drug delivery and the synthesis of biomaterials.

DNA-Mediated Stack Formation of Nanodiscs

Membrane-scaffolding proteins (MSPs) derived from apolipoprotein A-1 have become a versatile tool in generating nano-sized discoidal membrane mimetics (nanodiscs) for membrane protein research. Recent efforts have aimed at exploiting their controlled lipid protein ratio and size distribution to arrange membrane proteins in regular supramolecular structures for diffraction studies. Thereby, direct membrane protein crystallization, which has remained the limiting factor in structure determination of membrane proteins, would be circumvented. We describe here the formation of multimers of membrane-scaffolding protein MSP1D1-bounded nanodiscs using the thiol reactivity of engineered cysteines. The mutated positions N42 and K163 in MSP1D1 were chosen to support chemical modification as evidenced by fluorescent labeling with pyrene. Minimal interference with the nanodisc formation and structure was demonstrated by circular dichroism spectroscopy, differential light scattering and size exclusion chromatography. The direct disulphide bond formation of nanodiscs formed by the MSP1D1_N42C variant led to dimers and trimers with low yield. In contrast, transmission electron microscopy revealed that the attachment of oligonucleotides to the engineered cysteines of MSP1D1 allowed the growth of submicron-sized tracts of stacked nanodiscs through the hybridization of nanodisc populations carrying complementary strands and a flexible spacer.

Properties of DNA- and Protein-Scaffolded Lipid Nanodiscs

The properties of natural lipid bilayers are vital to the regulation of many membrane proteins. Scaffolded nanodiscs provide an in vitro lipid bilayer platform to host membrane proteins in an environment that approximates native lipid bilayers. However, the properties of scaffold-enclosed bilayers may depart significantly from those of bulk cellular membranes. Therefore, to improve the usefulness of nanodiscs it is essential to understand the properties of lipids restricted by scaffolds. We used computational molecular dynamics and modeling approaches to understand the effects of nanodisc size, scaffold type (DNA or protein), and hydrophobic modification of DNA scaffolds on bilayer stability and degree to which the properties of enclosed bilayers approximate bulk bilayers. With respect to achieving bulk bilayer behavior, we found that charge neutralization of DNA scaffolds was more important than the total hydrophobic content of their modifications: bilayer properties were better for scaffolds having a large number of short alkyl chains than those having fewer long alkyl chains. Further, complete charge neutralization of DNA scaffolds enabled better lipid binding, and more stable bilayers, as shown by steered molecular dynamics simulations that measured the force required to dislodge scaffolds from lipid bilayer patches. Considered together, our simulations provide a guide to the design of DNA-scaffolded nanodiscs suitable for studying membrane proteins.