The control of supramolecular DNA assembly through external stimuli such as light represents a promising approach to control bioreactions, and modulate hybridization or delivery processes. Here, we report on the design of nucleobase-containing arylazopyrazole photoswitches that undergo chiral organization upon self-assembly along short DNA templates. Chiroptical spectroscopy shows that the specific nucleobases allow selectivity in the resulting supramolecular DNA complexes, and UV light irradiation triggers partial desorption of the arylazopyrazole photoswitches. Molecular modeling studies reveal the differences of binding modes between the two configurations in the templated assembly. Remarkably, our results show that the photoswitching behaviour controls the self-assembly process along DNA, opening the way to potential applications as nano- and biomaterials.

中文翻译：

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核碱基-芳基偶氮吡唑光开关沿 DNA 模板手性自组装的选择性

通过光等外部刺激来控制超分子 DNA 组装是控制生物反应和调节杂交或递送过程的一种有前途的方法。在这里，我们报告了含核碱基的芳基唑吡唑光开关的设计，该光开关在沿着短 DNA 模板自组装时进行手性组织。手性光谱表明，特定的核碱基允许对所得的超分子 DNA 复合物进行选择性，并且紫外光照射会触发芳基偶氮吡唑光开关的部分解吸。分子建模研究揭示了模板组装中两种构型之间结合模式的差异。值得注意的是，我们的结果表明，光开关行为控制着 DNA 上的自组装过程，为纳米和生物材料的潜在应用开辟了道路。