Asymmetric functionality and directional interactions, which are characteristic of noncentrosymmetric particles, such as Janus particles, present an opportunity to encode particles with properties, but also a great synthetic challenge. Here, we exploit the chemical anisotropy of proteins, and the versatile chemistry of DNA to synthesize a protein-based Janus nanoparticle comprised of two proteins encoded with sequence-specific nucleic acid domains, tethered together by an interprotein "DNA bond". We use these novel nanoparticles to realize a new class of three-dimensional superlattice, only possible when two sides of the particle are modified with orthogonal oligonucleotide sequences. The low symmetry, intrinsic to Janus particles, enables the realization of unprecedented multicomponent nanoparticle superlattices with unique, hexagonal layered architectures. In addition, the interprotein "DNA bond" can be modulated to selectively expand the lattice in a single direction. The results presented herein not only emphasize the power of rationally designing nanoscale building blocks to create highly engineered colloidal crystals, but also establish a precedent for applications of multidomain DNA-encoded nanoparticles, especially in the field of colloidal crystallization.

中文翻译：

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DNA 编码的蛋白质 Janus 纳米粒子

非中心对称粒子（如 Janus 粒子）的不对称功能和定向相互作用为编码具有特性的粒子提供了机会，但也是一个巨大的合成挑战。在这里，我们利用蛋白质的化学各向异性和 DNA 的多功能化学合成了一种基于蛋白质的 Janus 纳米粒子，该粒子由两种用序列特异性核酸域编码的蛋白质组成，通过蛋白质间“DNA 键”连接在一起。我们使用这些新型纳米粒子来实现一类新的三维超晶格，只有在粒子的两侧用正交寡核苷酸序列修饰时才有可能。Janus 粒子固有的低对称性能够实现前所未有的多组分纳米粒子超晶格，具有独特的、六边形分层架构。此外，可以调节蛋白间“DNA 键”以在单个方向上选择性地扩展晶格。本文提出的结果不仅强调了合理设计纳米级构建块以创建高度工程化的胶体晶体的能力，而且还开创了多域 DNA 编码纳米粒子应用的先例，尤其是在胶体结晶领域。