Shelley F J Wickham

Publications (2)54.54 Total impact

• Article: A DNA-based molecular motor that can navigate a network of tracks.

  Shelley F J Wickham, Jonathan Bath, Yousuke Katsuda, Masayuki Endo, Kumi Hidaka, Hiroshi Sugiyama, Andrew J Turberfield
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  ABSTRACT: Synthetic molecular motors can be fuelled by the hydrolysis or hybridization of DNA. Such motors can move autonomously and programmably, and long-range transport has been observed on linear tracks. It has also been shown that DNA systems can compute. Here, we report a synthetic DNA-based system that integrates long-range transport and information processing. We show that the path of a motor through a network of tracks containing four possible routes can be programmed using instructions that are added externally or carried by the motor itself. When external control is used we find that 87% of the motors follow the correct path, and when internal control is used 71% of the motors follow the correct path. Programmable motion will allow the development of computing networks, molecular systems that can sort and process cargoes according to instructions that they carry, and assembly lines that can be reconfigured dynamically in response to changing demands.
  Nature Nanotechnology 03/2012; 7(3):169-73. · 27.27 Impact Factor
• Source

  Available from: Masayuki Endo

  Article: Direct observation of stepwise movement of a synthetic molecular transporter.

  Shelley F J Wickham, Masayuki Endo, Yousuke Katsuda, Kumi Hidaka, Jonathan Bath, Hiroshi Sugiyama, Andrew J Turberfield
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  ABSTRACT: Controlled motion at the nanoscale can be achieved by using Watson-Crick base-pairing to direct the assembly and operation of a molecular transport system consisting of a track, a motor and fuel, all made from DNA. Here, we assemble a 100-nm-long DNA track on a two-dimensional scaffold, and show that a DNA motor loaded at one end of the track moves autonomously and at a constant average speed along the full length of the track, a journey comprising 16 consecutive steps for the motor. Real-time atomic force microscopy allows direct observation of individual steps of a single motor, revealing mechanistic details of its operation. This precisely controlled, long-range transport could lead to the development of systems that could be programmed and routed by instructions encoded in the nucleotide sequences of the track and motor. Such systems might be used to create molecular assembly lines modelled on the ribosome.
  Nature Nanotechnology 02/2011; 6(3):166-9. · 27.27 Impact Factor