DNA and amphiphilic N,N,N-trimethyl-N-hexadecylammonium bromide (THAB) were stoichiometrically mixed together to produce a DNA-lipid complex, which was dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at 65degreesC and then crosslinked with isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI). The obtained organogel swelled reversibly in DMSO, responding to the variation of temperature. Interestingly, we observed that the gel exhibited a temperature-dependent shape-memory behavior. Above 65degreesC, whatever the shape the gel was deformed to, it could retain the new shape as the temperature was decreased to room temperature, while, when the gel was heated to 65degreesC again, it could recover its initial shape. The shape-memory characteristic is supposedly originated from the transition between the close-packed and the destroyed DNA/lipid conformation. The elastic urethane crosslinking bonds between base-pair sites act as a fixing phase. The gel holds promise in its application as a gentle actuator.