GUV-templated free-standing DNA membranes

In this paper, we introduce a method for realizing freestanding, membrane-mimicking DNA shells. DNA shells are first assembled on giant unilamellar vesicles and subsequently liberated by surfactant-mediated liposome removal, while retaining the geometry of their membrane templates. We demonstrate this strategy using two distinct classes of DNA tectons: a complex barrel-shaped DNA origami structure (a “Dipid”) and a simple nanostar-inspired motif composed of 11 oligonucleotides. The successful implementation of both approaches highlights the versatility of the method and demonstrates that diverse DNA architectures can be used to create tunable, DNA-only shell-like compartments spanning the size range of eukaryotic cells. These structures establish a fundamentally new form of compartmentalization for bottom-up synthetic biology.

Hao Yuan Yang, Christoph Karfusehr, Friedrich C. Simmel, Vesicle-Templated Self-Assembly of Programmable Freestanding Multi-µm DNA Shells. Nano Letters 2026

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.nanolett.6c00402