Biology offers compelling proof that macroscopic “living materials” can emerge from reactions between diffusing biomolecules. Here, we show that molecular self-organization could be a similarly powerful approach for engineering functional synthetic materials. We introduce a programmable DNA embedded hydrogel that produces tunable patterns at the centimeter length scale. We generate these patterns by implementing chemical reaction networks through synthetic DNA complexes, embedding the complexes in the hydrogel, and triggering with locally applied input DNA strands. We first demonstrate ring pattern formation around a circular input cavity and show that the ring width and intensity can be predictably tuned. Then, we create patterns of increasing complexity, including concentric rings and non-isotropic patterns. Finally, we show “destructive” and “constructive” interference patterns, by combining several ring-forming modules in the gel and triggering them from multiple sources. We further show that computer simulations based on the reaction–diffusion model can predict and inform the programming of target patterns.

中文翻译：

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基于DNA的反应扩散系统中的可编程模式

生物学提供了令人信服的证据，证明了宏观的“生物材料”可能来自扩散生物分子之间的反应。在这里，我们表明分子自组织可能是工程功能合成材料的一种类似的有效方法。我们介绍了一种可编程的DNA嵌入水凝胶，该凝胶在厘米长度尺度上产生可调模式。我们通过合成DNA配合物实施化学反应网络，将配合物嵌入水凝胶中，并通过局部施加的输入DNA链触发来生成这些模式。我们首先演示了圆形输入腔周围的环形图案形成，并显示了环形宽度和强度可以预测地进行调整。然后，我们创建越来越复杂的模式，包括同心环和非各向同性模式。最后，通过在凝胶中结合几个成环模块并从多个来源触发它们，我们展示了“破坏性”和“建设性”的干扰模式。我们进一步表明，基于反应扩散模型的计算机模拟可以预测目标模型并为其提供参考。