Evolution of DNA origami scaffolds

Nanoscale materials made using DNA have been increasingly used for applications ranging from biosensors to nanoelectronics. Specifically, DNA origami - where one long single-stranded DNA scaffold is folded into nanoscale shapes and structures using short 'staple' oligonucleotides - typically relies on a single-stranded DNA scaffold derived from a viral genome. The sizes of structures that are made rely on the length of the scaffold strand; the most frequently used DNA scaffold is the single-stranded 7249-nucleotide circular M13mp18 genome. Modern techniques used in genome tailoring are now widely exploited for the creation of DNA scaffolds of various lengths for use in DNA origami. DNA scaffolds of lengths ranging from ∼700-nucleotides to ∼51,000 nucleotides have been prepared using biotechniques such as polymerase chain reaction, a combination of site-directed mutagenesis and site- and ligation independent cloning, and using the molecular toolbox of restriction and ligation enzymes. Such tailor-made DNA scaffolds allow the creation of origami nanostructures of desired sizes.