Dynamic DNA Structures

• Published in: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Germany), 2019-06, Vol.15 (26), p.e1900228-n/a
• Main Authors: Zhang, Yingwei, Pan, Victor, Li, Xue, Yang, Xueqin, Li, Haofei, Wang, Pengfei, Ke, Yonggang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA - chemistry; DNA walkers and circuits; Domains; dynamic DNA structures; Fluorescence; Imaging techniques; nanorobotic transportation of molecular cargos; Nanostructures - chemistry; Nanotechnology; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Reconfiguration; self‐assembly; sensing and imaging
• ISSN: 1613-6810; 1613-6829
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.201900228

Dynamic DNA structures, a type of DNA construct built using programmable DNA self‐assembly, have the capability to reconfigure their conformations in response to environmental stimulation. A general strategy to design dynamic DNA structures is to integrate reconfigurable elements into conventional static DNA structures that may be assembled from a variety of methods including DNA origami and DNA tiles. Commonly used reconfigurable elements range from strand displacement reactions, special structural motifs, target‐binding DNA aptamers, and base stacking components, to DNA conformational change domains, etc. Morphological changes of dynamic DNA structures may be visualized by imaging techniques or may be translated to other detectable readout signals (e.g., fluorescence). Owing to their programmable capability of recognizing environmental cues with high specificity, dynamic DNA structures embody the epitome of robust and versatile systems that hold great promise in sensing and imaging biological analytes, in delivering molecular cargos, and in building programmable systems that are able to conduct sophisticated tasks. Dynamic DNA structures are able to sense and actuate in response to environmental stimulations. Design strategies and emerging applications of dynamic DNA structures are summarized and discussed.