Nature-Inspired Design of Smart Biomaterials Using the Chemical Biology of Nucleic Acids

Abstract In the natural cellular environment, nucleic acid biomolecules like DNA have biological implications via structural modifications and through precise coordination with other biomolecules in the local environment. Here, we detail the design of nature-inspired smart biomaterials that are based on the chemical biology of nucleic acids. N-Methylpyrrole (P) and N-methylimidazole (I) polyamides (PIPs), sequence-specific DNA-binding molecules have been, developed to image specific DNA sequences and to alter gene expression inside the living cells. The self-assembling feature of DNA was harnessed to achieve the programmed assembly of nanostructures with different dimensions. Also, the advanced DNA architectures with well-defined properties allowed the real-time visualization of the complicated single-molecule interactions, which in-turn provided vital intracellular mechanistic information. The molecular recognition properties of DNA were exploited to design biologically inspired hybrid catalysts for sustainable organic synthesis. Our review could serve as a guidebook for researchers who aim to develop nucleic acid-based synthetic biomaterials.