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Zhong et al. Chem Synth 2023;3:27 Chemical Synthesis
DOI: 10.20517/cs.2023.15

Review Open Access

Bioinspired nucleic acid-based dynamic networks

for signal dynamics

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Rui Zhong , Lin Yi , Xiarui Wang, Weijun Shu, Liang Yue *
Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, Hunan, China.
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Authors contributed equally.
*Correspondence to: Prof. Liang Yue, Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of
Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, No. 2 Lushan South
Road, Changsha 410082, Hunan, China. E-mail: yueliang2021@hnu.edu.cn

How to cite this article: Zhong R, Yi L, Wang X, Shu W, Yue L. Bioinspired nucleic acid-based dynamic networks for signal
dynamics. Chem Synth 2023;3:27. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/cs.2023.15

Received: 15 Mar 2023 First Decision: 11 Apr 2023 Revised: 14 Apr 2023 Accepted: 28 Apr 2023 Published: 26 May 2023
Academic Editors: Bao-Lian Su, Wei Li, Hai-Bo Yang Copy Editor: Dong-Li Li Production Editor: Dong-Li Li

Abstract
Signaling dynamic networks in living systems determine the conversion of environmental information into
biological activities. Systems chemistry, focusing on studying complex chemical systems, promotes the
connections between chemistry and biology and provides a new way to mimic these signaling dynamic processes
by designing artificial networks and understanding their emerging properties and functions that are absent in
isolated molecules. Nucleic acids, while relatively simple in their design and synthesis, encode rich structural and
functional information in their base sequence, which makes them an ideal building block for constructing complex
dynamic networks that can mimic those in living systems. This review briefly introduces nucleic acid-based
dynamic networks that can mimic natural signaling dynamic processes. We summarize how the nucleic acid-based
dynamic networks are utilized to mimic relatively simple biological transformations, such as feedback and
feedforward, which act as sub-networks to produce complex dynamic behaviors upon collective integration. We
also emphasize the recent development of far-from-equilibrium networks, which are designed for converting the
spatiotemporal signal and coupling with the downstream systems to achieve different functionalities and
applications, including temporary nanostructure and patterns, programmed catalysis, and more, using nucleic acid-
based dynamic networks. We also address the challenges of developing nucleic acid-based dynamic networks by
directed evolution, operating complex networks under confinement conditions, and integrating multiplex networks
into cell-like containments aiming to create protocells with living features.

© The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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