Dresden 2026 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 24: Biopolymers, Biomaterials and Bioinspired Functional Materials II (joint session CPP/BP)
BP 24.1: Vortrag
Mittwoch, 11. März 2026, 17:00–17:15, ZEU/0255
Coarse-grained simulations of network-forming DNA nanostructures — •Takahiro Yokoyama1,2 and Arash Nikoubashman1,2 — 1Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden, Dresden, Germany — 2Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
DNA nanotechnology offers exceptional nanoscale designability through precise control of DNA sequences. These individual DNA strands can form predetermined building blocks, which then hierarchically assemble into super-structures such as nanotubes, nanocapsules, or nanostars. The latter can assemble further into (percolated) networks, where sequence-level design enables systematic control of the rheological and mechanical network properties. This multi-scale self-assembly can lead to cascading effects, where even a single unpaired nucleotide on the building block level can act as a highly flexible hinge that dramatically alters the network mechanics. To understand how such variations on the nucleotide-scale affect the network properties, we designed a series of DNA networks by systematically altering the arm number and junction flexibility of the star-shaped building blocks using coarse-grained molecular simulations of the oxDNA model. Our study revealed that the bulk modulus of the network decreased with increasing number of DNA arms; this counter-intuitive behavior stems from the addition of flexible junctions on the single-star level, which preferentially absorb deformation and soften the overall network. This result highlights the importance of precise nanoscopic design on the order of one nucleotide to obtain optimal network properties.
Keywords: DNA; DNA nanostructures; DNA gels; molecular simulations