Functional Applications of Nucleic Acid–Protein Hybrid Nanostructures

Abstract

Combining the diverse chemical functionality of proteins with the predictable structural assembly of nucleic acids has enabled the creation of hybrid nanostructures for a range of biotechnology applications. Through the attachment of proteins onto or within nucleic acid nanostructures, materials with dynamic capabilities can be created that include switchable enzyme activity, targeted drug delivery, and multienzyme cascades for biocatalysis. Investigations of difficult-to-study biological mechanisms have also been aided by using DNA-protein assemblies that mimic natural processes in a controllable manner. Furthermore, advances that enable the recombinant production and intracellular assembly of hybrid nanostructures have the potential to overcome the significant manufacturing cost that has limited the use of DNA and RNA nanotechnology.