Dynamic DNA-based nanodevices provide versatile molecular-level operations, whereas a majority of them endure from the sluggish kinetics, impeding the development of gadget complexity. On this work, we current the self-assembly of a cationic peptide with DNA to expedite toehold-mediated DNA strand displacement (TMSD) reactions, a basic mechanism enabling the dynamic management and actuation of DNA nanostructures. The goal DNA was modified with a fluorophore and a quencher, in order that the TMSD course of might be monitored by observing the time-dependent fluorescence modifications. The boosting impact of the peptides is discovered to be depending on the peptide/DNA N/P ratio, the toehold/invader binding affinity, and the ionic energy with stronger results noticed at decrease ionic energy, suggesting electrostatic interactions play a key position. Moreover, we reveal that the cationic peptide enhances the responsiveness and robustness of DNA equipment tweezer or logic circuits (AND and OR) involving a number of strand displacement reactions in parallel and cascade, highlighting its broad utility throughout DNA-based methods of various complexity. This work gives a flexible method to boost the effectivity of toehold-mediated DNA nanodevices, facilitating versatile design and broader purposes.
