Development of molecular logic gates using the structural switch of telomere DNAs.

Abstract

Telomere DNAs consisting of double-stranded G-rich and C-rich sequences are particularly promising as scaffolds for molecular devices because they form high-ordered structures and have a highly polymorphic nature depending on surrounding factors. Based on the structural polymorphism of telomere DNAs, excellent molecular devices such as molecular motors and switches have been reported. Here we found that the dynamic structural conversion of telomere DNAs can be controlled by both monovalent cations (M(+)) and pH (H(+)). Based on this conversion, we propose a new concept of molecular logic gates in response to the surrounding conditions (M(+) and H(+)) with fluorescence intensity changes as the output signal.