Diverse Nanostructures Formed from Nucleic Acid−Appended Amphiphilic Lipid Molecules

Abstract

Amphiphilic molecules self-assemble into well-defined nanostructures such as spheres, plates, and fibers and are promising building blocks for bottom-up production of nanostructures. Because noncovalent interactions, such as hydrogen bonds and stacking bonds, drive self-assembly, the precise design of the building block molecules is critical to obtain the desired nanostructures. The double-stranded structure of DNA is held together by complementary base pairing and stabilized by stacking interactions between the bases; therefore, we can expect that well-defined structures can be obtained from nucleic acid–appended amphiphilic molecules by means of self-assembly directed by hydrogen bonds and stacking interactions similar to those in the DNA double helix. This review focuses on the construction and self-assembly mechanisms of diverse nanostructures obtained from nucleic acid–appended amphiphilic molecules.