Modular quadruplex-duplex hybrids as biomolecular scaffolds for asymmetric Michael addition reactions

Harnessing DNA as a Designable Scaffold for Asymmetric Catalysis: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

Since the first report of DNAzyme by in vitro selection in 1994, catalytic DNA has investigated extensively, and their application has expanded continually in virtue of rapid advances in molecular biology and biotechnology. Nowadays, DNA is in the second prime time by way of DNA-based hybrid catalysts and DNA metalloenzymes in which helical chirality of DNA serves to asymmetric catalysis. DNA-based hybrid catalysts are attractive system to respond the demand of the times to pursuit green and sustainable society beyond traditional catalytic systems that value reaction efficiency. Herein, we highlight the recent advances and perspective of DNA-based hybrid catalysts with various aspects of DNA as a versatile scaffold for asymmetric synthesis. We hope that scientists in a variety of fields will be encouraged to join and promote remarkable evolution of this interesting research.

Photo-Controllable Phase Transition of Arylazopyrazole-Conjugated Oligonucleotides

Phase transition is a promising aspect of DNA as biopolymers. Anionic DNA oligonucleotides easily form complexes with cationic polypeptides such as polylysine, and duplex formation significantly influences their complexation and resulting microcompartments. In this study, phase transition of microcompartments containing DNA and polylysine was systematically induced by modulating duplex formation of arylazopyrazole-conjugated oligonucleotides with light. We demonstrated that UV irradiation destabilized DNA duplex and generated isotropic coacervates, while duplex stabilization by visible light irradiation caused the formation of liquid crystalline coacervates. This photocontrol of phase transition was highly repeatable, and similar changes were observed even after ten cycles of light irradiation. Our approach would provide a robust control layer to the development of tailor-made microcompartments.

A noncovalent hybrid of [Pd(phen)(OAc)2] and st-DNA for the enantioselective hydroamination of β-nitrostyrene with methoxyamine

We developed a novel Pd-catalysed enantioselective synthesis of C-N bonds using the chiral scaffold of DNA. The non-covalently linked [Pd(phen)(OAc)2] with st-DNA catalysed the Markonicov hydroamination of β-nitrostyrene with methoxyamine for the first time with >75% enantiomeric excess (ee) in an aqueous buffer (pH 7.4) at room temperature.