In Science this week, investigators from Harvard University, the
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology describe a method of crafting single-stranded DNA
into a variety of different three-dimensional forms. Called "DNA
bricks," 102 of these self-assembling structures were created
from single strands of 32 nucleotide-long DNA. With intricate
cavities and hollow interiors, the bricks can bind with up to
four neighboring strands and be added or removed independently.
Combined with DNA origami, DNA bricks could potentially be used
to create nanostructures with higher yields. Also in Science, a
multi-institute team led by researchers from the University of
Hamburg report on the use of a new X-ray technique to gain
insights into a key enzyme in Trypanosoma brucei, the parasite
that causes sleeping sickness. The enzyme, cysteine protease
cathepsin B, or TbCatB, is a promising target for treating the
disease, but the structure of the mature, active form of the
enzyme has so far no