ssDNA-ssDNA pairing, dsDNA-dsDNA pairing, and RecA family protein mediated homologous recombination all involve self-assembly because free energetically favorable interactions form structures from less complex parts.
https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005421
Efraim Feinstein’s PhD thesis considered several self-assembling systems, including the folding of a string of charged beads.
Single molecule measurements of the adhesion of uropathogenic Escherichia coli to mannose also revealed useful strategies for optimizing self-assembly. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11078520/, as did studies of the folding of strings of charged beads. The work on the uropathogenic bacteria and the charged beads were done in collaboration with the Whitesides group.
