science ๐ฌ DNA structures change with tiny chemical tweak
Researchers discovered how hydrophobic chain length can change DNA nanostructure assembly by adding molecular interactions to DNA tiles. This study was published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition involving various tile motifs. Varying hexaethylene phosphate units resulted in structures like star-shaped networks and spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) by December 2023. This method allows for complex structures using fewer unique DNA sequences, boosting programmability. The findings show self-sorting based on hydrophobic chain length, leading to distinct nanostructure populations.