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Updated: May 16, 2025

Stable DNA Motifs, 1D and 2D Nanostructures Constructed from Small Circular DNA Molecules
Published on: April 12, 2019
A controllable DNA: structural features and advanced applications of i-motif
Qiumei Pu1,2, Xiangde Lai1,2, Yanan Peng3
1NHC Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, School of Tropical Medicine & The Second Affiliated Hospital, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 571199, China. wuqiang001001@aliyun.com.
Abstract:
The i-motif consists of two parallel-stranded duplexes, stabilized by intercalated semi-protonated cytosine-cytosine (C·C+) pairing. Initially, the i-motif was thought to be unstable under physiological pH, which limited its biological interest. However, recent studies have demonstrated the presence of i-motifs in regulatory regions of the human genome at neutral pH, making their study biologically relevant. In addition, in the field of nanotechnology, the reversible pH-responsive properties of i-motif structures have been utilized to construct functional nanostructures for biomedical diagnostics and therapeutics. In this review, we present an overview of the structural features of i-motifs, the factors affecting their stability, and detection methods. Furthermore, we focus on summarizing recent advances in the application of i-motif-based functional nanostructures at the cellular level. The challenges and future prospects of i-motifs in nanomedicine are also discussed at the end of this paper.
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