DNA Polymerase-Catalyzed DNA Network Growth

摘要

DNA is the fundamental genetic material for the storage and transfer of information from one generation to another. The Watson-Crick base pairing properties of DNA is an advantageous phenomenon that has been exploited in the usage of DNA as scaffold for directed self-organization to form nanometer-sized objects in a desirable fashion. In the first report, Seeman proposed ordered arrays of DNA with branched DNA (bDNA) building blocks that naturally exist in cellular DNA metabolism. Since then, several reports have appeared in literature that describe the generation of bDNAs with a variable number of arms to self-assemble with predesigned architectures. One prospective advantage of DNA for nanoconstruction is the inherent potential for further manipulations by DNA modifying enzymes. This issue is only beginning to be fully explored. DNA ligases have been employed to covalently link DNA strands to form nanometer-sized objects or DNA-based networks that form hydrogels or can be exploited in diagnostics. DNA polymerase-catalyzed nanoconstruction was reported for rolling circle amplification that holds the potential for enzymatic amplification of DNA structures with high fidelity. Additionally, the DNA polymerase-synthesized single-stranded DNA that folds into an octahedron with the assistance of scaffolding DNA oligomers was described. Besides these biologically inspired bDNA constructs several covalently and nonco-valently linked branching points were reported, and their employment in nanoconstruction was demonstrated. However, these strategies are only scarcely exploited for enzymatic synthesis and manipulations despite the potential for the introduction of additional functionalization through chemical modifications within the scaffolds.