Abstract
The 10-23 DNAzyme is an artificially developed Mg2+-dependent catalytic oligonucleotide that can cleave a RNA substrate in a sequence-specific fashion. In this study, we designed new split 10-23 DNAzymes made of two non-functional fragments, the first one carrying a boronic acid group at its 5' end, while the other one is composed of a ribonucleotide at its 3' end. We demonstrate herein that the addition of Mg2+ ions leads to the assembly of the fragments, which in turn induces the formation of a new boronate internucleoside linkage that restores the DNAzyme activity. A systematic evaluation has been performed that identified the most performant system. Our results highlight key features for an efficient control of DNAzymes activity through the formation of boronate linkages.