Patterning DNA Origami on Membranes Through Protein Self-Organization

Spatial organization on the atomic scale is one of the key objectives of nanotechnology. The development of DNA nanotechnology is a hallmark of material programmability in 2D and 3D, in which the large variety of available DNA modifications allows it to be interfaced with a number of inorganic and organic materials. Nature’s solution to spatiotemporal control has been the evolution of self-organizing protein systems capable of pattern formation through energy dissipation. Here, we show that combining DNA origami with a minimal micron-scale pattern-forming system vastly expands the applicability of DNA nanotechnology, whether for the development of biocompatible materials or as an essential step toward building synthetic cells from the bottom up. We first describe the interaction of DNA origami nanostructures with model lipid membranes and introduce the self-organizing MinDE protein system from Escherichia coli. We then outline how we used DNA origami to elucidate diffusiophoresis on membranes through MinDE protein pattern formation. We describe how this novel biological transport mechanism can, in turn, be harnessed to pattern DNA origami nanostructures on the micron scale on lipid membranes. Finally, we discuss how our approach could be used to create the next generation of hybrid materials, through cargo delivery and multiscale molecular patterning capabilities.