Friday, 01 February, 2008
Single-Molecule Cut-and-Paste Surface Assembly
S.K. Kufer, E.M. Puchner, H. Gumpp, T. Liedl, H. E. Gaub -
Science 319, no. 5863 (2008)
We introduce a method for the bottom-up assembly of biomolecular structures that combines the precision of the atomic force microscope (AFM) with the selectivity of DNA hybridization. Functional units coupled to DNA oligomers were picked up from a depot area by means of a complementary DNA strand bound to an AFM tip. These units were transferred to and deposited on a target area to create basic geometrical structures, assembled from units with different functions. Each of these cut-and-paste events was characterized by single-molecule force spectroscopy and single-molecule fluorescence microscopy. Transport and deposition of more than 5000 units were achieved, with less than 10% loss in transfer efficiency.