Abstract

Advances in synthetic chemistry have enabled abiotic, sequence defined polymers to imitate the structures and functions once exclusive to DNA. Indeed, the vast library of accessible backbones and pendant-group functionalities afford synthetic polymers an advantage over DNA in emerging applications as they can be tailored for stability or performance. Moreover, novel methodologies for sequencing and conjugation have been leveraged to elevate the versatility of discrete macromolecules. This review highlights abiotic, sequence-defined polymers in their capacity to mimic the primary functions of DNA – data storage and retrieval, sequence-specific self-assembly of duplexes, and replication and synthetic templating of new macromolecules.

摘要

合成化学的进步使非生物的、序列定义的聚合物能够模仿曾经专属于 DNA 的结构和功能。事实上，庞大的可访问主链和侧基功能库为合成聚合物在新兴应用中提供了优于 DNA 的优势，因为它们可以针对稳定性或性能进行定制。此外，测序和缀合的新方法已被用来提高离散大分子的多功能性。这篇综述强调了非生物、序列定义的聚合物模拟 DNA 主要功能的能力——数据存储和检索、双链体的序列特异性自组装，以及新大分子的复制和合成模板。