Abstract:

Functional nucleic acid can be understood from both connotation and extension based on the current research. From the connotation point of view， it covers nucleic acid molecules with special structural functions and performing specific biological functions； from the perspective of extension， it includes aptamers， nucleic acid ribozymes， riboswitches， luminescent nucleic acids， modified nucleic acids， nucleic acid tailoring， nucleic acid self?assembly， nucleic acid nanomaterials， nucleic acid nanozymes， nucleic acid drugs， and nucleic acid supplements. At present， functional nucleic acids have been successfully applied in several fields， such as biosensing， bioimaging， and biomedicine. This article discussed the concept of functional nucleic acid， and attempted to summarize its category and characteristics， in order to sort out the basic concepts of functional nucleic acid and promote the further development of this field.

Key words: nucleic acid, functional nucleic acid, connotation and extension

摘要：

对功能核酸概念的分析需要建立在对功能核酸研究的基础上，从内涵和外延两个方面来进行探析。从内涵来看，它是对具有特殊结构、执行特定生物功能的核酸分子的统称；从外延来看，它包括适体、核酸核酶、核糖开关、发光核酸、修饰核酸、功能核酸裁剪、核酸自组装、功能核酸纳米材料、核酸纳米酶、核酸药物、核酸补充剂以及DNA存储技术等。目前功能核酸已成功地应用于生物传感、生物成像、生物医学等诸多领域。对功能核酸这一概念进行了探讨，并尝试对其范畴、特点进行归纳总结，以期梳理和完善功能核酸的基本概念，促进该领域的进一步发展。

关键词: 核酸, 功能核酸, 内涵与外延