DNA Origami—Increasing Functionality in Biological Settings

Sub-nanometer-precise DNA origami structures may serve as versatile high-resolution templates for engineering inorganic materials [1] and as components for bridging molecular and macroscopic scales [2]. For biomedical applications, DNA origami could be integrated into robotic devices [3], gene-editing tools [4], delivery vehicles [5], and diagnostic platforms [6]. However, under physiological conditions these structures may suffer from poor stability due to low-cation-induced denaturation and enzymatic degradation. Here, I will present some of our very recent results in the following topics:<br/>(1) Structural design governs the folding [7] and environment-dependent stability of DNA origami [8].<br/>(2) Superstructure of DNA origami can be harnessed in rational design of drug release profiles [9].<br/>(3) Customized static [10-12] and stimuli-responsive [13] coatings can be used for targeting, for protecting DNA origami from degradation, and for increasing the immunocompatibility of DNA-based delivery systems.<br/><br/><b>References</b><br/>[1] Heuer-Jungemann & Linko <i>ACS Cent. Sci.</i> 7 (2021) 1969<br/>[2] Xin et al. <i>Chem. Eur. J.</i> 27 (2021) 8564<br/>[3] Nummelin et al. <i>ACS Synth. Biol. </i>9 (2022) 1923<br/>[4] Piskunen et al. <i>iScience</i> 25 (2022) 104389<br/>[5] Seitz et al. <i>Macromol. Biosci.</i> 21 (2021) 2100272<br/>[6] Keller & Linko <i>Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.</i> 59 (2020) 15818<br/>[7] Ijäs et al. <i>Biophys. J</i>. (2022) in press<br/>[8] Xin et al. <i>Small </i>18 (2022) 2107393<br/>[9] Ijäs et al. <i>Nucleic Acids Res.</i> 49 (2021) 3048<br/>[10] Shaukat et al. <i>Chem. Commun.</i> 56 (2020) 7341<br/>[11] Julin et al. <i>Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.</i> 60 (2021) 827<br/>[12] Seitz et al. <i>under review</i><br/>[13] Seitz et al. <i>ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces</i> 14 (2022) 38515