With DNA as the base, through the artificial design, mining the application potential of this living substance from the perspective of chemistry and engineering has been paid more and more attention by researchers.
When it comes to DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the first thing we think of is genetics. It is true that in traditional biology, the main function of DNA is to pass genetic information from the parent to the offspring to ensure the continuity of certain characteristics of the organism.
But in the eyes of some materials scientists, DNA, which is essentially nucleic acid, is no longer a mysterious life code, but the most basic unit for synthesizing a certain biological material. This kind of biological material is called "DNA" because it is "built" by DNA molecules.
I have to admit that the organism itself is full of unknowns, and there are infinite possibilities for biological materials, including DNA materials. Recently, researchers from Cornell University, the Institute of Nanotechnology and Nano-Bionics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the Institute of Nanotechnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences) and Renji Hospital of the Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine (hereinafter referred to as Renji Hospital) synthesized a The DNA material that can move autonomously can also be artificially regulated. The result was published as a cover article in the current issue of Science and Robotics.
Space movement visible to the naked eye
DNA is a double-helix structure, and each base unit "mounts" a base, creating the specificity of DNA. Based on this, many scientists have unearthed their assembly ability, that is, by the complementary pairing of DNA bases, "long" into a stable, designable structure.
"Based on DNA, through human design, the application potential of this life material from the perspective of chemistry and engineering has been paid more and more attention by researchers." One of the authors of the above article, Nano Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences - Gan Mingzhe, an associate researcher at the Key Laboratory of Bio-Interface, said in an interview with the Science and Technology Daily that DNA is no longer just a nano-scale biomolecule.
As a popular DNA application scenario, “DNA biocompatibility is very good and has great prospects in the medical field. Another major advantage of DNA materials is that the synthesis of materials is ever-changing when different nucleic acids are mixed and arranged, just like A rich mine, waiting for people to explore." In Gan Mingzhe's view, with the continuous advancement of DNA synthesis technology and theoretical computing, DNA materials have become the "flow star" in the material industry, attracting more and more researchers. Involved in the research and development of it.
In addition to constructing diverse DNA materials by altering the spatial arrangement of DNA, scientists are still exploring other non-genetic features of DNA material, the “cross-border starâ€. Today, researchers have synthesized a "space-moving" DNA material that is visible to the naked eye, which is closer to life than the general stimulus response, which researchers call "life-like materials."
Accidental creation of life-like materials can “swim†like a fish
Many of the discoveries that have advanced human science have come from an accident, such as penicillin and X-rays.
The "邂逅" with life-like materials is also an accident. Gan Mingzhe told reporters that the research team was using super glue to detect viral nucleic acids. Superglue is a synthetic DNA material that does not exist in nature. It is solid in water and liquid after being separated from water. Researchers wanted to explore its potential for bioassay.
Interestingly, they were excited to discover that the way the superglue was generated in the microfluidic chip changed unexpectedly.
If the hairline with a diameter of about 100 microns is reduced by 10 times into a micro-pipe with a diameter of 10 microns, "if the water flows in the pipe, it becomes a microfluid, its characteristic parallel flow mode - laminar flow, with common There is a significant difference in liquid flow, which leads to a specific flow field," Gan Mingzhe said.
"We found that the formation of this DNA material has a certain correlation with the laminar flow characteristics of the microfluid. By changing the flow field parameters of the pipeline, it is possible to control the synthesis of supergel at a specific spatial position; if the concentration of the enzyme in the microfluid is changed And the type, can change the speed of the self-synthesis and decomposition of super glue." Gan Mingzhe said that this achieves the artificial regulation of the space and time of the synthesis of the material.
“New substances are constantly being produced, and old substances are constantly being decomposed. This is like the unique metabolism of living things.†In Gan Mingzhe's view, metabolism is the key process for life to survive, maintaining DNA in the balance of synthesis and catabolism. The stable presence and renewal of materials is very similar to the characteristics of life. “We have recreated in the laboratory the process of making DNA materials in this artificial metabolism like life metabolism.â€
More interestingly, as a DNA material, under the action of related enzymes in microfluidics, its "artificial metabolism" is always synthesized at the front end and decomposed at the back end. Overall, this superglue is several millimeters long. Just like the fish in the water, it "swim" and is visible to the naked eye. This "fish" is still very tenacious. Unlike the researchers' prediction, the direction of "sports" is not "downstream", but rather the flow direction of microfluids, that is, "countercurrent."
“As people need to metabolize in an aerobic air environment, this kind of life-like material needs to get 'nutrition' from the microfluidic system to achieve 'artificial metabolism' for autonomous movement.†One of the authors of this article, American Kang Rodin, a professor at the School of Biological and Environmental Engineering at Nair University, said.
Don't look at the cell "face" The next "treasure" of protein synthesis
When asked about the usefulness of such life-like materials in real life, Gan Mingzhe said: "This is just the beginning. The material can now simulate the metabolism of life, and may show more life-like features in the future, such as The unique evolution of biology."
In biology, mutations can occur during DNA replication, creating an opportunity for evolution. “The material also has such a possibility.†Gan Mingzhe envisages that in the future research, it may be possible to obtain characteristics such as environmental adaptation, and finally obtain biomaterials that are truly directed evolution.
Perhaps evolution is more about luck, but some directions can be achieved by the "strength" of scientists. In Gan Mingzhe's view, the cell-free protein synthesis ability of this kind of material is the "treasure" that can be developed in the next step.
Protein is the basic component of many drugs and vaccines. At present, the synthesis of proteins is usually done by cultured cells. The types, yields and quality of the produced proteins are strictly regulated by the cells, that is, the cells are "served". However, under the current technical conditions, a considerable amount of protein production does not produce, and the production is completely "unhappy", such as some membrane proteins, toxic proteins, metabolic regulatory proteins, and the like. The DNA material itself can guide the synthesis of proteins, that is, the life-like materials can directly produce proteins by crossing the limits of the cells. Researchers have initially practiced this approach, with a few millimeters of superglue producing a large amount of active protein in a cell-free system.
"The biodetection capability of this material is also expected in the future." Gan Mingzhe said.
Unlike the original method of measuring fluorescence intensity, the autonomous motion of life-like materials driven by the “artificial metabolism†capability enables material pattern changes in a two-dimensional plane, and is expected to be extended to three-dimensional structural changes in the future. The detection result is determined by producing patterns of different patterns, even shapes that are visible to the naked eye. "This will be an exploration direction for future portable, precise and intelligent biological detection methods." Gan Mingzhe said.
"Our research is still in its embryonic stage. At this stage, it provides a research direction for the creation of new DNA materials, but I believe that the future of such life-like materials will be limitless." Liu Peifeng, an associate researcher at Renji Hospital, said one of the authors. .
Source: Technology Daily
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