METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS RELATED TO NUCLEIC ACID CIRCUITS AND SIGNAL TRANSDUCERS

摘要

Disclosed are compositions and methods for nucleic acid circuits. Specifically disclosed are methods and systems using catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) nucleic acid circuits. Disclosed herein is a system comprising at least three different nucleic acid sequences, wherein the first and second nucleic acid sequences are complementary to each other over at least a portion of their sequence, but are unable t substantially hybridize to each other unless they are in the presence of a third nucleic acid, and wherein once the first and second nucleic acids hybridize with each other, the third nucleic acid is no longer able to substantially hybridize with either the first or the second nucleic acid, and further wherein the first and second nucleic acid sequences are enzymatically-produced RNA. Either the first or second nucleic acid sequences, or both, can be kinetically trapped. This means that at least one of the sequences are not available for interaction, such as hybridization, with another nucleic acid sequence.