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RNA-Processing DNAzymes

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RNA Structure and Function

Part of the book series: RNA Technologies ((RNATECHN,volume 14))

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Abstract

The great potential of nucleic acids as therapeutics has been recognized for a while but has experienced a tremendous attention with the recent development of RNA vaccines. In contrast to protein-targeting strategies, nucleic acid-based approaches often have the advantage that the required target selectivity is not realized via matching a specific structure, but plainly via the primary sequence of the applied RNA or DNA construct. This sequence is then either directly processed or comprises an additional unit capable of processing a target molecule. The latter is true for a number of DNA sequences, called DNAzymes, that are capable of both binding and processing a target with a high selectivity. While the mRNA technology has the inherent strength of bringing something into the system, RNA-processing DNA catalysts such as RNA-cleaving DNAzymes have the inherent strength of taking something out of the system. Consequently, the DNAzyme technology has the potential to emerge as counterpart to the mRNA technology. However, and in line with the endeavors that were required for the success of the mRNA technology, specific improvements need to be realized to unravel the full potential of RNA-processing DNAzymes. This review provides an overview of recent findings and remaining limitations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Bioinorganic Chemistry, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany

    Ingrid Span

  2. Institute of Physical Biology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Manuel Etzkorn

  3. Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany

    Manuel Etzkorn

  4. Jülich Center for Structural Biology (JuStruct), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany

    Manuel Etzkorn

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  1. Ingrid Span
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  2. Manuel Etzkorn
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Correspondence to Ingrid Span or Manuel Etzkorn .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. NanoBioMedical Centre of Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland

    Jan Barciszewski

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Span, I., Etzkorn, M. (2023). RNA-Processing DNAzymes. In: Barciszewski, J. (eds) RNA Structure and Function. RNA Technologies, vol 14. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36390-0_28

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