A molecular jack-of-all-trades

摘要

Nucleic acids and associated proteins are essential molecular curators that store, preserve, translate and duplicate the genetic information of living organisms. Having understood how proteins are encoded and translated from genetic sequences of DNA, researchers quickly realized the potential of engineering such processes for alternative purposes. Currently, gene editing and DNA reactions are deeply integrated into research and technological environments, and even in our daily life. For instance, the gold standard diagnostic test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is the real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test; which is nothing more than a lab-based adaptation of enzymatic reactions with nucleic acids that occur naturally in cells for viral RNA detection.Beyond these more traditional roles, DNA and its biochemistry are also established tools for the design and fabrication of functional materials for various applications. The specificity of Watson-Crick base-pairing and our ability to define DNA sequences results in an endless supply of programmable interactions. These interactions enable the rational design and fabrication of one-dimensional (ID), 2D and 3D materials with distinct structural, mechanical and functional properties. DNA materials consisting of short strands, ordered nanostructures, multicomponent assemblies or bulk hydrogels have been fabricated for applications in bioimaging, catalysis, plasmonics, molecular computing and drug delivery. To further highlight the versatility of DNA as a materials engineering tool, in this issue of Nature Materials we present several research articles on DNA materials with applications in virus binding and inhibition, as well as data storage.