ABSTRACT
Owing to their programmable and predictable base pairing, nucleic acids can bind one another in the cellular environment during the genetic flow of information but also fold on themselves forming diverse three-dimensional structures which are imbued with biological functions. Dynamic ribozymes, riboswitches, and aptamers are examples of functional subunits which nucleic acid nanotechnology can build from in the design of nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) capable of carrying out similar roles. Riboswitches, ribozymes, and aptamers have been implemented as the targeting moieties for nanoparticles or as the fluorescent tags for visualizing their uptake and biodistribution. Understanding NANPs as more than simple static scaffolds can allow for such functions to be further implemented towards the design of smart therapeutic and diagnostic systems. While the dynamic functions of the naturally occurring nucleic acids are promising as adornments on NANP scaffolds, they also offer a higher level of inspiration for designing NANPs which are directly capable of interacting dynamically in biological environments.
