DNA-Based Molecular Machines

Abstract

Artificial molecular machines have found widespread applications ranging from fundamental studies to biomedicine. More recent advances in exploiting unique physical and chemical properties of DNA have led to the development of DNA-based artificial molecular machines. The unprecedented programmability of DNA provides a powerful means to design complex and sophisticated DNA-based molecular machines that can exert mechanical force or motion to realize complex tasks in a controllable, modular fashion. This Perspective highlights the potential and strategies to construct artificial molecular machines using double-stranded DNA, functional nucleic acids, and DNA frameworks, which enable improved control over reaction pathways and motion behaviors. We also outline the challenges and opportunities of using DNA-based molecular machines for biophysics, biosensing, and biocomputing.

Design and bioanalytical applications of stochastic DNA walkers

“…As the field of dynamic DNA nanotechnology emerged in the early 2000, 19 numerous research efforts were made to create synthetic DNA devices. 11,20,21 However, the motion of earlystage DNA devices was intramolecular. 19,22,23 To be a DNA walker, the motion of the walker must be relative to an external substrate.…”

“…[2][3][4] Because of extraordinary programmability and predictability, DNA is considered one of the most powerful materials to develop synthetic molecular walkers. 11 The exquisite Watson-Crick base pairing rule allows the precise control and prediction of interactions between DNA and the track. Advances in DNA nanotechnology have enabled not only the development of microtubular-like one-dimensional (1D) tracks but also much more complex 2D DNA origami tracks or even 3D tracks made of DNA functionalized nano-or microparticles (Fig.…”

Programing Immunogenic Cell Death in Breast Tumors with Designer DNA Frameworks

“…Framework nucleic acid (FNA), a new type of artificial DNA nanostructures formed by self-assembly of DNA strands, has been widely explored in biosensors, biomedicine, and bioimaging due to their biocompatibility, versatility, and spatial structural controllability. − Recently, more and more attention has been paid to the application of FNA in immunomodulatory therapy . Herein, we constructed a multifunctional tetrahedral DNA framework (TDF) with both tumor targeting and immunotherapeutic functions, as shown in Scheme .…”

A DNA‐Gated and Self‐Protected Bioorthogonal Catalyst for Nanozyme‐Assisted Safe Cancer Therapy

“…Nucleic acid molecules, with specific target recognition ability, [35][36][37] conformational polymorphism, [38,39] and high programmability, [40][41][42][43] have emerged as promising modulators for selective and controllable catalytic systems. Especially, DNA molecules can also work as a "lock" to control the responsive release of drug molecules and the entry of substrate molecules into the active sites during the catalytic process.…”