Introduction

Background

• There are many important objects which have rotating parts in nature, industries, and in our life. For example, we find rotation of the earth, flagellum movement of Euglena, turbine for power generations, motors of cars and locomotives, etc. Again, rotation is an important movement in many ways.(Figure 1)
• If we could fabricate a rotating machinery in nanoscale, it will provide valuable applications such as nanorobotics. This may be achieved by using DNA nanotechnology (Figure 2). Recently, the DNA origami is attracting attentions. DNA-origami is the programmable nanostructure which is synthesized by weaving a very long single strand DNA with a large number of short single strand DNAs, just like the weft of the textile.

Problems and Motivations

• Only a very few examples of a DNA-origami system with a rotational motion or even with a movable part have been reported so far. (Figure 3)It is also a problem that the creation of the macroscopic-scale device only with DNA origami, which works with the macroscopic output or input signal such as a mechanical one, is difficult due to high cost. (Figure 4)

examples of a DNA-origami system