The smallest antenna in the world is made of DNA
Scientists have built the smallest antenna ever made, just five nanometers long. Unlike its much larger counterparts we are all familiar with, this tiny thing isn't meant to transmit radio waves, but to gather the secrets of ever- changing proteins.
The nanoantenna is made up of DNA, the molecules that carry genetic instructions that are approximately 20,000 times smaller than a human hair. It is also fluorescent, which means it uses light signals to record and report information. This fluorescence can be used to convey movement and change in proteins and their structure. Just like an antenna, or, if you want to see it differently, a LED.
Part of the innovation with this particular antenna is the way the receiving part of it is also used to detect the molecular surface of the protein it is studying. This results in a distinct signal when the protein is performing its biological function.
"Like a two-way radio that can both receive and transmit, the fluorescent nanoantenna receives light in one color, or wavelength, and, depending on the motion of the protein it detects, transmits the light in another color, which we can detect, ”says chemist Alexis Vallée-Bélisle, of the Université de Montréal (UdeM) in Canada.
Specifically, the antenna's job is to measure structural changes in proteins over time. Proteins are large, complex molecules that perform all kinds of essential tasks in cells and therefore also in complex bodies, from supporting the immune system to regulating organ function to the physical structure of cells itself. The antenna allows you to evaluate its evolution and changes.
"The experimental study of transient states of proteins remains a major challenge because high-resolution structural techniques, including nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray crystallography, often cannot be directly applied to study short-lived protein states. ”, Explains the team in the article.
In this way, by studying proteins and their evolution, it is possible to understand cell physiology and pathology, also understanding how diseases spread. A truly remarkable step for biological science.
Thanks to our Telegram channel you can stay updated on the publication of new articles of Economic Scenarios.
The article The smallest antenna in the world is made of DNA comes from ScenariEconomici.it .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/lantenna-piu-piccola-al-mondo-e-fatta-di-dna/ on Sun, 23 Jan 2022 07:00:38 +0000.