Oligo-Adenine Derived Secondary Nucleic Acid Frameworks: From Structural Characteristics to Applications.

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Materials Science
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Oligo-adenine (polyA) plays a key role in mRNA stability, translation, and gene regulation.
• PolyA exhibits diverse secondary configurations in response to environmental stimuli, with reversible transitions.
• Beyond biological roles, polyA structures have emerging applications in various scientific fields.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review recent advances in noncanonical polyA structures.
• To elucidate the structural characteristics and stimulus-responsive mechanisms of these DNA conformations.
• To highlight applications of polyA-derived structures in advanced materials and bioengineering.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of noncanonical polyA structures.
• Analysis of structural characteristics and stimulus-response mechanisms.
• Compilation of applications in stimuli-responsive hydrogels, supramolecular assemblies, molecular electronics, and biosensing.

Main Results:

• Identified noncanonical polyA structures include A-motif duplex, A-cyanuric acid triplex, A-coralyne-A duplex, and T⋅A-T triplex.
• Detailed comparison of structural features and stimuli-responsiveness of these polyA derivatives.
• Demonstrated applications in pH-cascaded DNA hydrogels and dynamic supramolecular fibers.

Conclusions:

• PolyA-derived noncanonical structures offer dynamic DNA frameworks for diverse applications.
• Stimuli-responsive properties enable advanced material development and bioengineering solutions.
• These structures significantly expand the DNA "toolbox" for future innovations.