  Mechanically interlocked molecules have marked a breakthrough in the field of
topological chemistry and boosted the vigorous development of molecular
machinery. As an archetypal example of the interlocked molecules, catenanes
comprise macrocycles that are threaded through one another like links in a
chain. Inspired by the transition metal-templated approach of catenanes
synthesis, the hierarchical assembly of DNA origami catenanes templated by gold
nanoparticles is demonstrated in this work. DNA origami catenanes, which
contain two, three or four interlocked rings are successfully created. In
particular, the origami rings within the individual catenanes can be set free
with respect to one another by releasing the interconnecting gold
nanoparticles. This work will set the basis for rich progress toward DNA-based
molecular architectures with unique structural programmability and well-defined
topology.
