Real-Time Super-Resolution Tracking of Single Deoxyribozyme Based Molecular Robots

The probing and characterization of the behavior of individual nucleic acid based molecular robots is presented, using real-time single-particle tracking with super-resolution total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM). Nucleic acid based molecular assemblies, called "spiders", implemented as robots with multiple deoxyribozyme sensor-actuator legs traverse and cleave two-dimensional landscapes of surface bound oligonucleotide substrates. We analyze the movement of spiders to test the hypothesis that they walk by biased diffusion. The experimental approach demonstrated here should allow for control over the cybernetic properties of spiders, resulting in the integration and synthesis of complex robotic behaviors at the nanoscale based on DNA and RNA nanotechnology.