论文标题
由跨膜电势驱动的DNA涡轮机
A DNA turbine powered by a transmembrane potential across a nanopore
论文作者
论文摘要
旋转电动机在能量转导中起关键作用，从宏观风车到纳米级涡轮机，例如细胞中的ATP合酶。尽管我们有能力在许多尺度上构造引擎，但在纳米级开发功能性合成涡轮机仍然具有挑战性。在这里，我们在实验上证明了具有三个手性叶片的合理设计的纳米级DNA-Origami涡轮机。这些DNA纳米驱动液的高度和直径为24-27 nm，可以利用纳米孔的跨膜电化学电位将DNA束驱动到持续的单向旋转，最高可达10转/s。旋转方向是由涡轮机设计的手性设定的。全原子分子动力学模拟显示流体动力流如何驱动此涡轮机。在高盐浓度下，具有相同手性的涡轮机的旋转方向逆转，这是通过电泳迁移率的各向异性的变化来解释的。我们的人造涡轮机在生理条件下自动运行，将能量从自然丰富的电化学电位转化为机械工作。结果为纳米级工程活动机器人技术开辟了新的可能性。
Rotary motors play key roles in energy transduction, from macroscale windmills to nanoscale turbines such as ATP synthase in cells. Despite our capabilities to construct engines at many scales, developing functional synthetic turbines at the nanoscale has remained challenging. Here, we experimentally demonstrate rationally designed nanoscale DNA-origami turbines with three chiral blades. These DNA nanoturbines are 24-27 nm in height and diameter and can utilise transmembrane electrochemical potentials across nanopores to drive DNA bundles into sustained unidirectional rotations of up to 10 revolutions/s. The rotation direction is set by the designed chirality of the turbine. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations show how hydrodynamic flows drive this turbine. At high salt concentrations, the rotation direction of turbines with the same chirality is reversed, which is explained by a change in the anisotropy of the electrophoretic mobility. Our artificial turbines operate autonomously in physiological conditions, converting energy from naturally abundant electrochemical potentials into mechanical work. The results open new possibilities for engineering active robotics at the nanoscale.
