DNA‐Templated Organic Synthesis: Nature's Strategy for Controlling Chemical Reactivity Applied to Synthetic Molecules
Abstract
In contrast to the approach commonly taken by chemists, nature controls chemical reactivity by modulating the effective molarity of highly dilute reactants through macromolecule‐templated synthesis. Nature's approach enables complex mixtures in a single solution to react with efficiencies and selectivities that cannot be achieved in conventional laboratory synthesis. DNA‐templated organic synthesis (DTS) is emerging as a surprisingly general way to control the reactivity of synthetic molecules by using nature's effective‐molarity‐based approach. Recent developments have expanded the scope and capabilities of DTS from its origins as a model of prebiotic nucleic acid replication to its current ability to translate DNA sequences into complex small‐molecule and polymer products of multistep organic synthesis. An understanding of fundamental principles underlying DTS has played an important role in these developments. Early applications of DTS include nucleic acid sensing, small‐molecule discovery, and reaction discovery with the help of translation, selection, and amplification methods previously available only to biological molecules.
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Several DNA-templated reactions with longer probes proceed within minutes at very low concentrations, benefiting from high effective concentrations in stable hybridization complexes.
“In contrast, several DNA-templated reactions with longer probes have been shown to proceed within minutes at very low concentrations, benefiting from high effective concentrations in stable hybridization complexes.18−20”
From Sequencing of <scp>d</scp>/<scp>l</scp>-DNA and XNA by Templated-Synthesis (2025) · cites this paper as [18]
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- Authors
- Li, X., & Liu, D. R.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Venue
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2004-09-16
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 37
- Pages
- 4848-4870
- ISSN
- 1433-7851 (ISSN-L)
- 1521-3773
- OpenAlex
- W2106132690
- Cited by
- 538
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 37 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 30 · 2013: 32 · 2012: 36
- FWCI
- 1.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM065865)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › DNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Organic Chemistry › Supramolecular Chemistry and Complexes
- Keywords
- effective molarity, nucleic acid sensing, small molecule drug discovery, reaction discovery, multistep organic synthesis, polymer synthesis
- MeSH terms
- Chemistry, Organic, DNA, Polymers, RNA, Templates, Genetic
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