Fig. 2. Discrete differences in junction angles determine global lattice symmetry.

a Superimposed structures of the J5 (tan) and J3 (red) 4 × 5 junctions containing P3₂21 and P3₂ symmetries, respectively. The junction alignment had a global RMSD value of 1.34, with calculated interduplex angles of 58.18° and 55.20°, respectively. No significantly obvious visual differences are apparent; however, the resulting global influence that an even modest difference in angle can have on overall packing is evident in (b, c). b Snapshot of the full J5 P3₂21 (4 × 5) lattice containing an aperiodic array of cavities which would not be amenable for scaffolding of guest molecules of any appreciable size. The two uniquely sized cavities are shown with black boxes. The widths for each respective cavity are indicated. Each cavity spans the length of a cross-section of a duplex (~2.0 nm). Alternative views of the lattice including measurements in each orientation are included in Supplementary Fig. 8. c Snapshot of the full J3 P3₂ (4 × 5) lattice which reveals dramatically different arrays of large periodic cavities compared to its J5 counterpart in (b). A single cavity is highlighted with a black box with a width of 4.0 nm and also spanning the length of a cross-section of a duplex (~2.0 nm). Alternative views of the lattice including measurements in each orientation are included in Supplementary Fig. 8.