Cleaving DNA by nanozymes

DNA cleavage plays a crucial role in many biological processes such as DNA replication, transcription, and recombination. It is also used as a powerful tool in gene editing, therapeutics, and biosensor design. Nanozymes aims to develop nanomaterial-based enzyme mimics. Compared to natural enzymes, nanozymes offer advantages of higher stability, lower cost, and recyclability. Recently, nanozymes with interesting DNA cleavage activities have emerged, including both hydrolytic cleavage and oxidative cleavage. Herein, this Perspective starts by introducing DNA cleavage of nanozymes, focusing on recent examples. Some interesting nanozymes include CeO2 nanoparticles for hydrolytic cleavage of single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides, chiral carbon dots mimicking topoisomerase activity, and light-assisted cleavage of DNA. The corresponding cleavage mechanisms are then discussed and a few representative applications in DNA repair, editing, and antibacterial agents are presented. Finally, a few future research opportunities are discussed.