The dynamic properties of an intramolecular transition from DNA duplex to cytosine–thymine motif triplex

Abstract

We here report that the formation and breakdown of an intramolecular cytosine–thymine (CT) motif DNA triple-helix can be performed repeatedly, quickly and independently of its local concentration without performance reduction over successive cycles; as a consequence, we propose that this set of characteristics makes the DNA duplex–triplex transition an ideal candidate to power simple nanometer-scale devices capable of maintaining effective performance regardless of their local concentration.