Mutations in artificial self-replicating tiles: A step toward Darwinian evolution
Abstract
In nature, mutation is the first step of evolution, where it provides the genetic variation for the natural selection to act. Here we take a system of artificial self-replicating tiles, DNA origami, that exhibit templated reproduction. We can generate a small fraction of mutations by introducing a mismatch in hybridization between parent and daughter. We can modify the origami functionality to affect the growth rate of the mutated species, giving it less or more evolutionary advantage, and to become dominant in several generations. The introduction of mutations into an artificial self-replicating system provides new directions for research into self-assembly processes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Dec 06, 2021
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.2111193118
Entities
People
- Feng Zhou
- Heng Ni
- Nadrian C. Seeman
- Paul Chaikin
- Ruojie Sha
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- National Science Foundation
- New York University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Department of Energy