Optical Voltage Sensing Using DNA Origami

• Published in: Nano letters Vol. 18; no. 3; pp. 1962 - 1971
• Main Authors: Hemmig, Elisa A, Fitzgerald, Clare, Maffeo, Christopher, Hecker, Lisa, Ochmann, Sarah E, Aksimentiev, Aleksei, Tinnefeld, Philip, Keyser, Ulrich F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 14-03-2018
• Subjects: Biosensing Techniques - instrumentation; DNA - chemistry; Electricity; Electrodes; Equipment Design; Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer - instrumentation; Fluorescent Dyes - chemistry; Ion Transport; Letter; Nanostructures - chemistry; Nanostructures - ultrastructure; Nanotechnology - instrumentation; Nucleic Acid Conformation; nanocapillary; single-molecule FRET; DNA nanotechnology; optical voltage measurements; coarse-grained simulations
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b05354

We explore the potential of DNA nanotechnology for developing novel optical voltage sensing nanodevices that convert a local change of electric potential into optical signals. As a proof-of-concept of the sensing mechanism, we assembled voltage responsive DNA origami structures labeled with a single pair of FRET dyes. The DNA structures were reversibly immobilized on a nanocapillary tip and underwent controlled structural changes upon application of an electric field. The applied field was monitored through a change in FRET efficiency. By exchanging the position of a single dye, we could tune the voltage sensitivity of our DNA origami structure, demonstrating the flexibility and versatility of our approach. The experimental studies were complemented by coarse-grained simulations that characterized voltage-dependent elastic deformation of the DNA nanostructures and the associated change in the distance between the FRET pair. Our work opens a novel pathway for determining the mechanical properties of DNA origami structures and highlights potential applications of dynamic DNA nanostructures as voltage sensors.