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RNA nanotechnology is a branch of nanotechnology concerned with the design, study and application of synthetic structures based on RNA. RNA nanotechnology takes advantage of the physical and chemical properties of RNA rather than the genetic information it carries.
Biosensors that accurately detect proteins are critical for biological applications, but modular transduction of binding into useful outputs is a challenge. Here, authors develop a modular platform using aptamer-regulated transcription to detect proteins and process RNA outputs via molecular circuits.
This study uses single molecule mechanical experiments and computer simulations to measure the speed by which an invading DNA or RNA strand displaces a bound strand from a double helix.
Protein and RNA-based condensates have emerged as biologically important alternatives to classical membrane-bound organelles. Here the authors design pure RNA condensates from nanostructured, star-shaped RNA motifs, and engineer them to recruit specific peptides and proteins.
The development of RNA technologies demands accurate assessment of transcript size and heterogeneity. Here, authors report a nanopore-based approach to study full-length RNA transcripts at the single-molecule level, identify premature transcription termination and study rolling-circle transcription.
mRNA delivery has shown great potential in the treatment of various diseases. Here, the authors develop a lantern-shaped flexible origami for nanolization of single mRNA molecules and demonstrate efficient delivery of Smad4 mRNA, achieving suppression of colorectal cancer tumour growth.
An mRNA-based drug aims to replace a faulty enzyme and restore metabolic function in children with propionic acidemia — with encouraging early clinical results.
RNA has multiple roles in biology, enabled by its structural diversity. Now, artificially grafted RNA motifs have been encoded in a single RNA strand to form self-assembling nanostructures with controlled geometry and function.
Novoa, Mason and Mattick propose to use phage display technology and direct sequencing through nanopores to facilitate systematic interrogation of RNA modifications.