Plugging synthetic DNA nanoparticles into the central dogma of life

Abstract

Synthetic DNA nanotechnology has emerged as a powerful tool for creating precise nanoscale structures with diverse applications in biotechnology and materials science. Recently, it has evolved to include gene-encoded DNA nanoparticles, which have potentially unique advantages compared to alternative gene delivery platforms. In exciting new developments, we and others have shown how the long single strand within DNA origami nanoparticles, the scaffold strand, can be customized to encode protein-expressing genes and engineer nanoparticles that interface with the transcription–translation machinery for protein production. Remarkably, therefore, DNA nanoparticles – despite their complex three-dimensional shapes – can function as canonical genes. Characteristics such as potentially unlimited gene packing size and low immunogenicity make DNA-based platforms promising for a variety of gene therapy applications. In this review, we first outline various techniques for the isolation of the gene-encoded scaffold strand, a crucial precursor for building protein-expressing DNA nanoparticles. Next, we highlight how features such as sequence design, staple strand optimization, and overall architecture of gene-encoded DNA nanoparticles play a key role in the enhancement of protein expression. Finally, we discuss potential applications of these DNA origami structures to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of gene-encoded DNA nanoparticles and motivate future directions.