A CRISPR-Cas12a-Responsive DNA Tetrahedron.
- 1Department of Chemistry, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York12222, United States.
- 2The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York12222, United States.
- 3Department of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York12222, United States.
Abstract
Functionalizing DNA nanostructures for stimuli-responsive reconfiguration has been a key area of development in DNA nanotechnology. Here, we demonstrate programmable control over the structural integrity of a tetrahedral DNA nanostructure using an external DNA stimulus that is modulated through an intermediate CRISPR-Cas12a reaction. We designed toehold-containing DNA tetrahedra that can be disassembled by a DNA or RNA invading strand. Activation of the Cas12a enzyme by double-stranded DNA provides precise control over the disassembly of the DNA tetrahedra by digesting the DNA invading strand but not the RNA, enabling highly responsive and programmable DNA architectures. Further, targeted activation of Cas12a by conserved genomic regions of three bacterial pathogens, namely Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, provides biologically relevant responsiveness and demonstrates the platform's potential for future applications. Our results show that the DNA tetrahedra are observed in the presence of the genomic target but not observed in its absence due to disassembly, demonstrating a highly programmable and responsive molecular level architecture.
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BibTeX
@article{singha2026crisprcas12aresponsive,
title = {{A CRISPR-Cas12a-Responsive DNA Tetrahedron.}},
author = {Shubhajit Singha and Mehmet V Yigit and Arun Richard Chandrasekaran},
journal = {Biochemistry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1021/acs.biochem.6c00589},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42917132},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A CRISPR-Cas12a-Responsive DNA Tetrahedron.
AU - Shubhajit Singha
AU - Mehmet V Yigit
AU - Arun Richard Chandrasekaran
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Biochemistry
DO - 10.1021/acs.biochem.6c00589
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42917132
AB - Functionalizing DNA nanostructures for stimuli-responsive reconfiguration has been a key area of development in DNA nanotechnology. Here, we demonstrate programmable control over the structural integrity of a tetrahedral DNA nanostructure using an external DNA stimulus that is modulated through an intermediate CRISPR-Cas12a reaction. We designed toehold-containing DNA tetrahedra that can be disassembled by a DNA or RNA invading strand. Activation of the Cas12a enzyme by double-stranded DNA provides precise control over the disassembly of the DNA tetrahedra by digesting the DNA invading strand but not the RNA, enabling highly responsive and programmable DNA architectures. Further, targeted activation of Cas12a by conserved genomic regions of three bacterial pathogens, namely Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, provides biologically relevant responsiveness and demonstrates the platform's potential for future applications. Our results show that the DNA tetrahedra are observed in the presence of the genomic target but not observed in its absence due to disassembly, demonstrating a highly programmable and responsive molecular level architecture.
SN - 0006-2960
SN - 1520-4995
ER -