Organizing protein-DNA hybrids as nanostructures with programmed functionalities

The structural and functional information encoded in the base sequence of nucleic acids provides a means to organize hybrid protein-DNA nanostructures with pre-designed, programmed functionality. This review discusses the activation of enzyme cascades in supramolecular DNA-protein hybrid structures, the bioelectrocatalytic activation of redox enzymes on DNA scaffolds, and the programmed positioning of enzymes on 1D, 2D and 3D DNA nanostructures. These systems provide starting points towards the design of interconnected enzyme networks. Substantial progress in the tailoring of functional protein-DNA nanostructures has been accomplished in recent years, and advances in this field warrant a comprehensive discussion. The application of these systems for the control of biocatalytic transformations, for amplified biosensing, and for the synthesis of metallic nanostructures are addressed, and future prospects for these systems are highlighted.