English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Free Plan

In analogy with classic rigidity problems of networks and frames, the elasticproperties of hydrogels made of DNA nanostars (DNAns) are expected to stronglydepend on the precise geometry of their building blocks. However, it iscurrently not possible to determine DNAns shape experimentally. Computationalcoarse-grained models that can retain the correct geometry of DNA nanostars andaccount for the bulk properties observed in recent experiments could providemissing insights. In this study, we perform metadynamics simulations to obtainthe preferred configuration of three-armed DNA nanostars simulated with theoxDNA model. Based on these results we introduce a coarse-grained computationalmodel of nanostars that can self assemble into complex three dimensionalpercolating networks. We compare two systems with different designs, in whicheither planar or non-planar nanostars are used. Structural and network analysisreveal completely different features for the two cases, leading to twocontrasting elastic properties. The mobility of molecules is larger in thenon-planar case, which is consistent with a lower viscosity measured fromGreen-Kubo simulations in equilibrium. To the best of our knowledge, this isthe first work connecting the geometry of DNAns with the bulk rheologicalproperties of DNA hydrogels and may inform the design of future DNA basedmaterials.

Nanostars planarity modulates the elasticity of DNA hydrogels