The effect of crossovers on the stability of DNA origami type nanocarriers

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare the stability of the three nanocarriers created by DNA origami method with different positions and numbers of crossoversDesign/methodology/approachNanocarriers are attractive components among a variety of nanostructures created by DNA origami and can have numerous applications in mechanical and medical engineering. For this reason, the current study compares three nanotubes with different positions and numbers of crossovers created by DNA origami method that can be utilized as nanocarriers. To investigate the structures, the DNA nanocarriers are studied at the human body temperature 310 K. Molecular dynamics simulations are used for this study. For a quantitative analysis of DNA nanocarriers, the areas of three hexagons at three different sites in each of the nanotubes are investigated. The results indicate that the number and position of crossovers are among the significant factors in the structure stability of nanocarriers. The analyses also revealed that although adding crossovers in locations with fewer crossovers increase structural stability, the position of crossovers can have different effects on the stability. DNA origami-based nanocarriers can be implemented in drug delivery, allow the nanocargoes to pass various surfaces and act as filters for passing cargoes of different dimensions and chemical structures.FindingsThe results indicate that the number and position of crossovers are among the significant factors in the structure stability of nanocarriersOriginality/valueIn this paper, the stability of DNA origami nanocarriers with different positions and numbers of crossovers was investigated.