DNA-peptide rotaxanes: Functional interlocked structures with biological components

Supramolecular assemblies such as rotaxanes and catenanes are considered to be a good basis for the development of synthetic molecular machines. These machines could be made to perform work (in the case of rotaxanes, translational motion) when exposed to an external physical or chemical input. This motion can then be coupled to useful processes, such as data storage and transmission and chemical reactions.
In this project, we will use synthetic biology to engineer suitable biological building blocks to construct novel interlocked structures for controlling translational motion and other biological processes.