In nature, allostery is the principal approach for regulating cellular processes and pathways. Inspired by nature, structure-switching aptamer-based nanodevices are widely used in artificial biotechnologies. However, the canonical aptamer structures in the nanodevices usually adopt a duplex form, which limits the flexibility and controllability. Here, a new regulating strategy based on a clamp-like triplex aptamer structure (CLTAS) was proposed for switching DNA polymerase activity via conformational changes. It was demonstrated that the polymerase activity could be regulated by either adjusting structure parameters or dynamic reactions including strand displacement or enzymatic digestion. Compared with the duplex aptamer structure, the CLTAS possesses programmability, excellent affinity and high discrimination efficiency. The CLTAS was successfully applied to distinguish single-base mismatches. The strategy expands the application scope of triplex structures and shows potential in biosensing and programmable nanomachines.

中文翻译：

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使用钳状三链体适体结构来切换Taq聚合酶的活性。

实际上，变构是调节细胞过程和途径的主要方法。受自然启发，基于结构转换适体的纳米器件被广泛用于人工生物技术中。然而，纳米器件中的规范适体结构通常采用双链形式，这限制了其灵活性和可控性。在这里，提出了一种新的基于钳状三链体适体结构（CLTAS）的调控策略，用于通过构象变化切换DNA聚合酶活性。已经证明，聚合酶活性可以通过调节结构参数或包括链置换或酶消化在内的动态反应来调节。与双适体结构相比，CLTAS具有可编程性，优异的亲和力和较高的识别效率。CLTAS已成功应用于区分单碱基不匹配。该策略扩大了三重结构的应用范围，并显示了在生物传感和可编程纳米机器中的潜力。