Tesoro S, Göpfrich K, Kartanas T, Keyser UF, Ahnert SE. Nondeterministic self-assembly with asymmetric interactions.
Phys Rev E 2016;
94:022404. [PMID:
27627332 DOI:
10.1103/physreve.94.022404]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We investigate general properties of nondeterministic self-assembly with asymmetric interactions, using a computational model and DNA tile assembly experiments. By contrasting symmetric and asymmetric interactions we show that the latter can lead to self-limiting cluster growth. Furthermore, by adjusting the relative abundance of self-assembly particles in a two-particle mixture, we are able to tune the final sizes of these clusters. We show that this is a fundamental property of asymmetric interactions, which has potential applications in bioengineering, and provides insights into the study of diseases caused by protein aggregation.
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