Talk:Toehold mediated strand displacement

I like your article, it is a concise introduction to the Toehold Mediated Strand Displacement technique. I had not previously heard of this, but now understand the process well, so I think your explanation is effective. I think it might be helpful to include a sentence at the very beginning that outlines the overall goal of the technique after explaining its basis in strand hybridization via Watson-Crick base pairing - something like "This technique allows controlled release of specific, single stranded(?**) DNA or RNA sequences by manipulating the concentration of a separate, displacing sequence." This helps the reader relate the details of the technique that you expand on back to a core objective and demonstrates the relevance of those details (which I think everything you list is relevant).

    • Also it might be helpful to overview considerations on nature of the released and displacing strands i.e. Are they single stranded (seems obvious but not explicitly listed)? Must the displacing strand be longer? Are there considerations for DNA-RNA pairing and displacement that differ from DNA-DNA or RNA-RNA? These details might be difficult to obtain, but if they are readily available, it would help clarify what is happening.

Overall, looking good! See you tomorrow!

Best of luck, Willus

Thanks a lot for the feedback Willus. You have some very good points which I will definitely incorporate in my next edit.


Great article Markus I agree with Willus, you jump straight into the technicalities of the system without a overview of the goal. In addition, I think it would be worth listing a few examples of how this was employed in DNA nanotechnology. Doesn't need to be extensive, just a list of a few.

Great Job!

Orlando