Self-Assembled DNA Hydrogels with Designable Thermal and Enzymatic Responsiveness

An easy and versatile approach to construct DNA hydrogels is reported. The DNA building blocks, a Y-scaffold and a linker, can self-assemble into DNA hydrogels by the hybridization of their sticky ends. It is shown that the DNA hydrogels undergo a sol-gel transition upon heat or enzymatic treatment, and the responsiveness can be adjusted by tailoring the sequence of the building blocks.