Figure 2.

Photo-activatable DNA nanostar motif. (a) Schematic of three-arm DNA nanostar. One of the nanostar sticky ends was modified to include a single-stranded overhang, or toehold (red domain on the 5′ end of one arm), separated by a PC linker. This overhang when cleaved releases the protected sticky end and enables nanostar to form condensates. (b) Single-stranded DNA oligomers are annealed to form three-armed DNA nanostructure (nanostars). Nanostars form isothermally and interact through their sticky ends and phase separate into condensates. (c) Plots of the increase in average area of condensates when incubated at room temperature (27°C) over 3 h. Time equal to 0 shows the average area of condensates at the end of the anneal process. The sample was irradiated for 30 s given a total nanostar concentration of 2.5 µM. The plot includes a positive control (no PC linker, no UV irradiation) as well as a negative control (no UV irradiation). Dots show the mean of one experimental replicate; error bars are obtained by bootstrapping. Right: representative fluorescence microscopy images for activated nanostars phase separating into condensates after 30 s UV exposure. Scale bar: 15 µm.