Framework Nucleic Acids in Nuclear Medicine Imaging: Shedding Light on Nano-Bio Interactions.

Framework nucleic acids (FNAs) represent nanoscale oligonucleotide assemblies with unique physical, chemical, and biological properties that are different from their building blocks. Following simple Watson-Crick base-pairing rules, arbitrary DNA frameworks with diverse shapes, sizes, and dimensions can be prepared with high reproducibility and stability. The programmable assembly of nucleic acids into FNAs presents a highly controllable model for studies on nano-bio interactions and allows scrutiny of "nanostructure-activity relationships." Herein, we present an overview of recent progress with FNAs in the hope of deepening our understanding of nano-bio interfacing. We summarize the biological profiles and immune responses of various FNAs as functions of their shape, sizes, and surface charges. We then highlight recent efforts to apply FNAs for biomedical applications and discuss the challenges of FNAs for potential clinical translation. We believe that this Minireview can bring up-to-date information on FNAs and shed light on how their design may be harnessed for selective biomedical applications.

Wang H ，Liu Q ，Lan X ，Jiang D ... -  《-》

Functional Nucleic Acid Nanomaterials: Development, Properties, and Applications.

Functional nucleic acid (FNA) nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary field between nucleic acid biochemistry and nanotechnology that focuses on the study of interactions between FNAs and nanomaterials and explores the particular advantages and applications of FNA nanomaterials. With the goal of building the next-generation biomaterials that combine the advantages of FNAs and nanomaterials, the interactions between FNAs and nanomaterials as well as FNA self-assembly technologies have established themselves as hot research areas, where the target recognition, response, and self-assembly ability, combined with the plasmon properties, stability, stimuli-response, and delivery potential of various nanomaterials can give rise to a variety of novel fascinating applications. As research on the structural and functional group features of FNAs and nanomaterials rapidly develops, many laboratories have reported numerous methods to construct FNA nanomaterials. In this Review, we first introduce some widely used FNAs and nanomaterials along with their classification, structure, and application features. Then we discuss the most successful methods employing FNAs and nanomaterials as elements for creating advanced FNA nanomaterials. Finally, we review the extensive applications of FNA nanomaterials in bioimaging, biosensing, biomedicine, and other important fields, with their own advantages and drawbacks, and provide our perspective about the issues and developing trends in FNA nanotechnology.

Xu W ，He W ，Du Z ，Zhu L ，Huang K ，Lu Y ，Luo Y ... -  《-》

Concept and Development of Framework Nucleic Acids.

Ge Z ，Gu H ，Li Q ，Fan C ... -  《-》

Self-Assembled DNA Nanostructures-Based Nanocarriers Enabled Functional Nucleic Acids Delivery.

Huang J ，Ma W ，Sun H ，Wang H ，He X ，Cheng H ，Huang M ，Lei Y ，Wang K ... -  《-》

Rational Design of Framework Nucleic Acids for Bioanalytical Applications.

With the advent of DNA nanotechnology, nucleic acids have been used building blocks for constructing various DNA nanostructures. As classical and simple DNA nanostructures, framework nucleic acids (FNAs) have attracted enormous attention in the field of biosensing. The sequence-specific self-assembly properties and high programmability of nucleic acids allow FNAs to be incorporated in advanced probe design. In addition, FNAs enable the engineering of surfaces for biosensing (e. g., probe orientation, probe spacing), thereby improving the accessibility of target molecules to the probes arranged on heterogeneous surfaces. Moreover, FNAs offer a universal and promising platform for sensing cellular molecules because of their prominent biocompatibility and cellular permeability. Herein recent advances in FNA-based biosensors are summarized, including electrochemical detection, optical detection, and intracellular sensing. It is hoped that this review will provide guidelines for the design and construction of FNA scaffold-based biosensors.

Su Y ，Li D ，Liu B ，Xiao M ，Wang F ，Li L ，Zhang X ，Pei H ... -  《-》