Protein‐Controlled Actuation of Dynamic Nucleic Acid Networks by Using Synthetic DNA Translators**

Integrating dynamic DNA nanotechnology with protein‐controlled actuation will expand our ability to process molecular information. We have developed a strategy to actuate strand displacement reactions using DNA‐binding proteins by engineering synthetic DNA translators that convert specific protein‐binding events into trigger inputs through a programmed conformational change. We have constructed synthetic DNA networks responsive to two different DNA‐binding proteins, TATA‐binding protein and Myc‐Max, and demonstrated multi‐input activation of strand displacement reactions. We achieved protein‐controlled regulation of a synthetic RNA and of an enzyme through artificial DNA‐based communication, showing the potential of our molecular system in performing further programmable tasks.
This project received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska‐Curie grant agreement No 704120 (“MIRNANO”, A.B.) and No 843998 (“DNA‐bots”, T.P.). The work was also supported by Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro, AIRC (project n. 21965) (F.R.) and by the European Research Council, ERC (Consolidator Grant project n. 819160) (F.R.). A.B. was supported by Fondazione Umberto Veronesi.