DNA nanomachines and their functional evolution

Abstract

Since the establishment of the Watson–Crick model more than five decades ago, the understandings of DNA structures are well sufficient to enable applications of DNA in designing and assembling two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) structures at the nanoscale. Furthermore, the conformational switchability of DNA also enables the fabrication of nanoscale molecular machines, which can perform movements upon stimuli. In this article, we will summarize the present efforts on constructions of DNA nanomachines based on different driven mechanisms, and further discuss their evolutional processes, in order to find applications and future development directions.