Nanomachines capable of controlled programmable work at the nanoscale promise to revolutionize a vast range of research and eventually should impact on daily lives. Due to the ease of design and modification, DNA origami is emerging as a natural platform to build such machines. However, one essential challenge is the controlled and rapid actuation of DNA origami using an external biocompatible stimulus. Here, actuation based on temperature‐induced phase transitions of the thermo‐responsive polymer poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) is reported. By incorporating this polymer into DNA origami structures on either side of a flexible region, a “DNA origami flexor” is created that uses the tunable PNIPAM hydrophobicity to reversibly open and close the DNA structures. Such a mechanism has the advantage of being versatile and biocompatible, and possessing strong response to temperature changes of a few degrees Kelvin.

中文翻译：

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DNA折纸屈肌的热响应致动

能够控制纳米级可编程工作的纳米机器有望彻底改变广泛的研究领域，并最终影响到日常生活。由于易于设计和修改，DNA折纸正逐渐成为构建此类机器的自然平台。然而，一项基本挑战是使用外部生物相容性刺激物来控制和快速激活DNA折纸。在此，基于热响应聚合物poly（N报道了异丙基丙烯酰胺（PNIPAM）。通过将这种聚合物掺入到柔性区域任一侧的DNA折纸结构中，创建了一种“ DNA折纸屈体”，它使用可调PNIPAM疏水性可逆地打开和关闭DNA结构。这样的机制的优点是通用和生物相容的，并且对几度开氏温度的温度变化具有强烈的响应。