CAREER: Control Information Transfer in Complex DNA Structures

非技术性：该奖项由材料研究部的生物材料项目授予埃默里大学，旨在开发一种新的DNA自组装范例，该范例将允许可伸缩地构建复杂和动态的大型DNA结构。通过进化，生物学展示了分子自组装的力量，正如它在地球上各种各样的生物体中所展示的那样，这些生物体通过生物分子的自组装展示出极其复杂的形式和功能，如DNA和蛋白质。合成分子自组装的一个关键挑战是构建模拟生物系统中复杂结构和复杂行为的人工可控系统。该项目旨在利用DNA自组装的力量来设计和构建可扩展的、模块化的、动态的纳米结构，模拟在信号级联中观察到的信息传递的一些关键方面(例如，由T细胞受体结合启动的T细胞激活信号级联)，包括人工DNA纳米结构中信息传递的可编程启动、传播和调节。该项目将为各种重要的科学研究和应用提供动态纳米材料和纳米器件的自组装平台。参与该项目的学生将接受尖端生物分子组装和纳米科学研究方面的培训。研究计划还将与广泛的教育推广活动的发展相结合，这些活动旨在招募、教育和培训下一代科学家，并提高社区的整体科学素养，特别是亚特兰大大都市区代表性不足的少数族裔社区。技术：分子水平上的信息传递是化学和生物过程中的一种基本现象。该项目旨在开发一种新的分子自组装范例，以控制由模块化DNA结构单元组装的人工分子阵列中的远程信息传输。动态DNA分子阵列的研究是可扩展的，它们的转化可以在选定的单元开始，然后通过指定的信息路径传播到邻近单元。通过对一维、二维和三维动态DNA阵列中信息传递的系统研究，本项目有望在以下方面获得全面的了解：1)DNA阵列的热力学和动力学行为；2)新方法的可扩展性和通用性；3)DNA阵列中信息传递的可编程启动、传播和调节。新的DNA阵列可用作分子器件，通过DNA阵列中的信息传播，检测并将分子相互作用转化为DNA结构的构象变化，或放大单分子信号(例如，使用FRET)。该项目将产生新的计算工具、物理模型和新课程，为博士后、研究生和本科生提供跨学科培训。外展计划将量身定做，以教育和培训下一代科学家，并提高社区的整体科学素养。

Non-technical: This award by the Biomaterials program in the Division of Materials Research to Emory University is to develop a novel DNA self-assembly paradigm that will allow scalable construction of large DNA structures that are complex and dynamic. Through evolution, biology showed the power of molecular self-assembly as it is shown in a huge variety of organisms in the planet that exhibit extremely sophisticated forms and functions via self-assembly of biomolecules, such as DNA and proteins. A key challenge in synthetic molecular self-assembly is to construct artificial, controllable systems that imitate intricate structures and complex behaviors seen in biological systems. This project is to harness the power of DNA self-assembly to design and construct scalable, modular, dynamic nanostructures that simulate some of the key aspects of information transfer observed in signaling cascades (e.g. T cell activation signaling cascades initiated by T cell receptor binding), including programmable initiation, propagation, and regulation of information transfer within the artificial DNA nanostructures. The project will provide an enabling platform for self-assembly of dynamic nanomaterials and nanodevices for a variety of important scientific research and applications. The students participating in this project will receive training in cutting-edge biomolecular assembly and nanoscience research. The research program will also be integrated with development of extensive educational outreach activities that are designed to recruit, educate and train the next generation scientists, and to increase the overall scientific literacy of the community, especially the underrepresented minority community in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Technical:Information transfer at the molecular level is an essential phenomenon in chemical and biological processes. This project aims to develop a novel molecular self-assembly paradigm to control long-range information transfer in artificial molecular arrays assembled from modular DNA structural units. The proposed studies on dynamic DNA molecular arrays are scalable, and their transformation can be initiated at selected units, then propagated to neighboring units through prescribed information pathways. Through systematic study of information transfer within 1D, 2D, and 3D dynamic DNA arrays, this project is expected to gain comprehensive understanding on: 1) the thermodynamic and kinetic behaviors of the DNA arrays; 2) the scalability and versatility of the new method; and 3) the programmable initiation, propagation, and regulation of information transfer in the DNA arrays. The new DNA arrays may be used as molecular devices to detect and translate molecular interactions to conformational changes in DNA structures, or to amplify single molecule signals (e.g. using FRET), via information propagation in the DNA arrays. The project would generate novel computational tools, physical models, and new courses that provide interdisciplinary training for postdocs, and graduate and undergraduate students. The outreach program will be tailored to educate and train the next generation scientists and to increase the overall scientific literacy of the community.