DNA nanomachine switching improved by cationic comb-type copolymer

The unique folding and assembling properties of DNA have been elaborated to construct various nanomachines that can be reversibly switched between two or more distinct conformations. For the better applications and developments of DNA nanomachines, their responding kinetics, outputs, and sequence-selectivity need to be improved. Furthermore, the DNA nanomachines currently have several limitations in the operation conditions such as temperature, salt condition, and DNA strand concentration. In this study, we evaluated the effect of a cationic copolymer on the responses of a DNA-fueled nanomachine. We found that the copolymer increases quickness of the nanomachine under moderate conditions including physiologically relevant conditions even at very low strand concentrations (nM range).