DNA bricks are 32 nt DNA strands that can bind to up to 4 neighboring DNA strands through 4 distinct 8 nt binding domains1. Bricks connect with each other at 90 degree angles and each 8 bp duplex can be considered one voxel of 2.5 nm × 2.5 nm × 2.7 nm. Domain lengths can also be increased and 13 nt domain lengths enabled structures to be synthesized consisting of up to tens of thousands of DNA strands and sizes of 100 nm × 100 nm × 100 nm. This technique increases the component complexity compared to other DNA nanostructure classes by about 100×. Another advantage of the DNA bricks approach is the modularity it provides. Using a single batch of DNA strands, many structures of different shapes and sizes can be assembled using different combinations of the strands. However, DNA bricks are limited in size due to high cost, they are often synthesized in low yield and are subject to local defects due to DNA strands being added in equimolar concentrations.
References
- Ke, Y., Ong, L. L., Shih, W. M. & Yin, P. Three-Dimensional Structures Self-Assembled from DNA Bricks. Science 338, 1177–1183 (2012).