Institute of Chemistry, The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Frontiers Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China.
Chem Soc Rev. 2022 Jan 24;51(2):720-760. doi: 10.1039/d1cs00688f.
Photoresponsive nucleic acids attract growing interest as functional constituents in materials science. Integration of photoisomerizable units into DNA strands provides an ideal handle for the reversible reconfiguration of nucleic acid architectures by light irradiation, triggering changes in the chemical and structural properties of the nanostructures that can be exploited in the development of photoresponsive functional devices such as machines, origami structures and ion channels, as well as environmentally adaptable 'smart' materials including nanoparticle aggregates and hydrogels. Moreover, photoresponsive DNA components allow control over the composition of dynamic supramolecular ensembles that mimic native networks. Beyond this, the modification of nucleic acids with photosensitizer functionality enables these biopolymers to act as scaffolds for spatial organization of electron transfer reactions mimicking natural photosynthesis. This review provides a comprehensive overview of these exciting developments in the design of photoresponsive DNA materials, and showcases a range of applications in catalysis, sensing and drug delivery/release. The key challenges facing the development of the field in the coming years are addressed, and exciting emergent research directions are identified.
光响应核酸作为材料科学中的功能成分引起了越来越多的关注。将光致变色单元整合到 DNA 链中，为通过光照对核酸结构进行可逆重构提供了理想的手段，引发纳米结构的化学和结构性质发生变化，可用于开发光响应功能器件，如机器、折纸结构和离子通道，以及环境适应性“智能”材料，包括纳米颗粒聚集体和水凝胶。此外，光响应 DNA 组件可用于控制模拟天然网络的动态超分子聚集体的组成。除此之外，用光敏剂功能修饰核酸可以使这些生物聚合物作为电子转移反应的空间组织支架，模拟自然光合作用。本综述全面概述了光响应 DNA 材料设计方面的这些令人兴奋的进展，并展示了在催化、传感和药物输送/释放方面的一系列应用。讨论了该领域未来几年面临的关键挑战，并确定了令人兴奋的新兴研究方向。
