“Every creation, said Picasso, is first an act of destruction.” Taking this idea literally, the pharmacologists at the University of Montreal have discovered (Pharmacists create nanomachines by destroying them) that breaking down the molecular nanomachines necessary for life can create new ones that work even more.
Their findings are published today in Nature Chemistry.
Nanomachines and the origins of life
Life on Earth is possible because of tens of thousands of living nanomachines that have evolved over millions of years. They are usually made of protein or nucleic acid, and are usually 3,000 to 10,000 times more dense than a human hair.
“These nanomachines – which control all the molecular functions of our body and their problems of regulation or organization – are the origin of many human diseases,” remembers Alexis Vallée-Bélisle, head of the study and professor of chemistry at University College, Montreal.
By studying the structure of these nanomachines created by Mother Nature, Professor Vallée-Bélisle, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Bioengineering and Bionanotechnology, found that, some areas are one-dimensional or one-dimensional – usually long biopolymer. – others consist of many things that have come together by accident.
“Since most of my students spend most of their time building nanomachines in the lab, we have come to think of whether it might not be more beneficial to use one or more things that can combine themselves,” explains the professor. .
Destructive thinking
To answer this question, PhD student Dominic Lauzon came up with the “disruptive” idea of breaking down different types of nanomachines to see if they could be assembled. To do this, he created nanomachines based on DNA that can be “broken” or split into many pieces.
“DNA is a remarkable molecule that offers simple, programmable and easy-to-use chemistry,” said Dominic Lauzon, first author of the study. We believe that our experience of “destroying” DNA-based nanomachines can help us answer fundamental questions about the nature and evolution of living and man-made nanomachines. It was long, but we won this bet!
The professor and his student spent several years conducting experiments and research that showed that nanomachines can easily resist splitting. Even more surprising, this division allows the creation of many new functions, for example different levels of sensitivity and changes in concentration or temperature or even flexibility.
The researchers found that these characteristics can only be achieved by controlling the totality of each part of the nanomachine. Therefore, by cutting the nanomachine into three parts, they found that it works more efficiently when the concentration of the elements is high. On the other hand, when the input of this component is small, this nanomachine can be programmed to work on or off at the same time.
“In general, these new functions were achieved only by removing or destroying the structure of the existing nanomachine, said Dominic Lauzon. We believe that these characteristics can improve human nanotechnology, such as biosensors, carriers medicine and molecular computing.
Create a new plan
Just like Picasso who destroyed his unfinished work to create others or like small tears in the muscles of an athlete that makes it possible to strengthen them and increase his health , nanomachines also have this ability to start successfully by destroying certain parts.
Unlike everyday objects such as telephones, televisions and cars, which are made using screws, bolts, glue or solder, “nanomachines use thousands of intermolecular forces fragile that allows the broken to come together at once”, explained Alexis. Vallée-Bélisle.
In addition to providing nanotechnology researchers with a simple blueprint for creating the next generation of nanomachines, the UdeM team’s results provide insight into the origins of biological nanomachines.
“Biologists discovered in the 2000s that about 20 percent of living nanomachines can originate from the division of their genes. With our results, biologists now have a foundation It makes sense to understand how the separation of these ancestral proteins can lead to new cellular functions that allow life to change on Earth and continue to exist”, said the two researchers confidently. please do. na chemists.
