Concept and Development of Framework Nucleic Acids

Abstract

The blooming field of structural DNA nanotechnology harnessing the material properties of nucleic acids has attracted widespread interest. The exploitation of the precise and programmable Watson–Crick base pairing of DNA or RNA has led to the development of exquisite nucleic acid nanostructures from one to three dimensions. The advances of computer-aided tools facilitate automated design of DNA nanostructures with various sizes and shapes. Especially, the construction of shell or skeleton DNA frameworks, or more recently dubbed “framework nucleic acids” (FNAs) provides a means to organize molecules or nanoparticles with nanometer precision. The intrinsic biological properties and tailorable functionalities of FNAs hold great promise for physical, chemical, and biological applications. This Perspective highlights state-of-the-art design and construction, of precisely assembled FNAs, and outlines the challenges and opportunities for exploiting the structural potential of FNAs for translational applications.

Size‐Independent Transmembrane Transporting of Single Tetrahedral DNA Nanostructures

“…[1,2] DNA structures have gained much interest as a promising drug carriers, as a wide range of nanomaterials possess unique physical properties that can facilitate drug deliver system safer and more effective. [3][4][5][6] Several experiments proved that self-assembled DNA Herein, the dynamic transmembrane process of TDNs is tracked by force tracing technique based on atomic force microscopy (AFM), the force and duration of the transmembrane transport process of single nanoparticles/molecules could be detected down to pico-newton and milliseconds, respectively. [13,14] Combining experiment and simulation, the TDNs size effect on the transmembrane dynamics and protein-mediated mechanism was explored at single particle level under near physiological condition.…”

Environment‐Recognizing DNA‐Computation Circuits for the Intracellular Transport of Molecular Payloads for mRNA Imaging

“…To transport these therapeutic molecules into target cells and tissues, scientists have devised a number of nanocarriers, such as nanoparticles and DNA nanostructures . Framework nucleic acids (FNAs), a wide variety of robust DNA nanoframes (for example, tetrahedrons, pyramids, and cubes), display unique biophysical and biochemical properties, and have proven ideal nanocarriers for intracellular transport of molecular payloads, including proteins, anticancer drugs, siRNAs, and ASOs . However, the activation of the FNA nanocarriers in vivo for controllable cargo release once they enter cells remains a challenge.…”

Programming Motions of DNA Origami Nanomachines

“…At early stage, DNA machines were mainly based on small DNA‐assembled structures that could switch between different states . The fast development of DNA origami technology in the past decade makes it possible to create various nanostructures with desired shapes, facilitating the construction of more complex DNA nanomachines . These DNA origami‐based structures exhibit enhanced rigidity over small DNA strands, allowing for the design of nanomachines that mimic the motion behavior of macroscopic machines.…”