CAREER: Control Information Transfer in Complex DNA Structures

非技术：该奖项由埃默里大学材料研究部生物材料项目颁发，旨在开发一种新的DNA自组装范式，该范式将允许复杂和动态的大型DNA结构的可扩展构建。通过进化，生物学展示了分子自组装的力量，就像地球上各种各样的生物通过DNA和蛋白质等生物分子的自组装表现出极其复杂的形式和功能一样。合成分子自组装的一个关键挑战是构建人工的、可控的系统，模仿生物系统中的复杂结构和复杂行为。该项目旨在利用DNA自组装的能力来设计和构建可扩展的、模块化的、动态的纳米结构，模拟信号级联中观察到的信息传递的一些关键方面（例如，T细胞激活信号级联由T细胞受体结合启动），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。该研究项目还将与广泛的教育推广活动的发展相结合，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会地区代表性不足的少数民族社区。技术方面：分子水平上的信息传递是化学和生物过程中必不可少的现象。本项目旨在开发一种新的分子自组装范式，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递。所提出的动态DNA分子阵列研究具有可扩展性，其转化可以在选定的单元开始，然后通过规定的信息途径传播到邻近的单元。通过对一维、二维和三维动态DNA阵列内部信息传递的系统研究，本项目有望全面了解：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起始、传播和调控。新的DNA阵列可以作为分子装置来检测分子相互作用并将其转化为DNA结构的构象变化，或者通过DNA阵列中的信息传播来放大单分子信号（例如使用FRET）。该项目将产生新的计算工具、物理模型，以及为博士后、研究生和本科生提供跨学科培训的新课程。该外展计划将专门用于教育和培训下一代科学家，并提高整个社区的科学素养。

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.