Mechanisms, Methods of Tracking and Applications of DNA Walkers: A Review

• Published in: Chemphyschem 2020-09, Vol.21 (17), p.1971-1988
• Main Authors: Valero, Julián, Škugor, Marko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA structures; DNA walker; fluorescence spectroscopy; molecular devices; Nanotechnology; Nanotechnology devices
• ISSN: 1439-4235; 1439-7641
• DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202000235

In recent years, DNA nanotechnology expanded its scope from structural DNA nanoarchitecture towards designing dynamic and functional nanodevices. This progress has been evident in the development of an advanced class of DNA nanomachines, the so‐called DNA walkers. They represent an evolution of basic switching between distinctly defined states into continuous motion. Inspired by the naturally occurring walkers such as kinesin, research on DNA walkers has focused on developing new ways of powering them and investigating their walking mechanisms and advantages. New techniques allowing the visualization of walkers as single molecules and in real time have provided a deeper insight into their behavior and performance. The construction of novel DNA walkers bears great potential for applications in therapeutics, nanorobotics or computation. This review will cover the various examples and breakthrough designs of recently reported DNA walkers that pushed the limits of their performance. It will also mention the techniques that have been used to investigate walker nanosystems, as well as discuss the applications that have been explored so far. The most relevant and recent examples of DNA walkers reported in the literature are reviewed with a focus on the different mechanisms of action, limits of performance, and variety of techniques that have been used to characterize such nanosystems. The authors also describe the broad range of applications that DNA walkers have found to date and discuss the future of the field.