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Nucleic acids

Nucleic acids

Nucleic acids are the most important macromolecules for the continuity of life. They carry the cell's genetic blueprint and carry instructions for its functioning.
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The two main types of nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). DNA is the genetic material in all living organisms, ranging from single-celled bacteria to multicellular mammals. It is in the nucleus of eukaryotes and in the organelles, chloroplasts, and mitochondria. In prokaryotes,...

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Nucleic Acid-Based Nanodevices in Biological Imaging.

Kasturi Chakraborty¹, Aneesh T Veetil¹, Samie R Jaffrey²

¹Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637; email: kasturi@uchicago.edu , atv@uchicago.edu , yamuna@uchicago.edu.

Annual Review of Biochemistry

|June 14, 2016

Summary

Nucleic acid nanotechnology enables advanced biological imaging and diagnostics. Engineered nucleic acid nanodevices offer versatile platforms for diverse applications in structural, cellular, and organismal biology.

Keywords:

AFM FISH Spinach aptamers functional bioimaging live imaging nucleic acid nanodevices structural DNA nanotechnology super-resolution microscopy

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Area of Science:

Biotechnology
Molecular Engineering
Nanotechnology

Background:

Nucleic acids offer predictable base pairing and programmability.
Advances in chemical and biological methods yield high-purity nucleic acids.
Computational tools facilitate the design of complex nucleic acid structures.

Purpose of the Study:

To discuss the diverse applications of nucleic acid-based nanodevices.
To highlight the advantages of nucleic acid scaffolds in biological contexts.
To explore the expanding potential of nucleic acid nanotechnology.

Main Methods:

Nanoscale engineering of nucleic acids.
Design and synthesis of nucleic acid-based nanodevices.
Utilizing computational tools for design and analysis.

Main Results:

A wide diversity of nucleic acid-based nanodevices has been created.
These nanodevices demonstrate a strong capacity for interfacing with biological systems.
Nucleic acid scaffolds provide advantageous physicochemical properties for various applications.

Conclusions:

Nucleic acid nanotechnology is a powerful tool for high-end biological imaging.
The versatility of nucleic acid scaffolds drives innovation in biological applications.
Future advancements in engineering nucleic acids will significantly expand their use in structural, cellular, and organismal biology.