@article{fb283f94-8ae2-4a06-baeb-ac040f4170eb,
  abstract     = {{<p>Controlled and sequence-selective DNA cleavage plays a crucial role in biomolecular engineering and nucleic acid technologies. Here, we report the development of cerium-coordinated catalytic hydrogel nanoparticles (Ce-CHNP) that exhibit single-strand-selective nuclease activity. Ce-CHNP was synthesized via a one-step polymerization process in which Ce(IV) coordinated with N-hydroxymethyl acrylamide to form nanoceria inside the polymer network. The artificial enzyme exhibits high efficiency for hydrolysis of phosphodiester, with kinetic parameters of K<sub>m</sub> = 1.20 mM, k<sub>cat</sub> = 13.57 s<sup>−1</sup>, and k<sub>cat</sub>/K<sub>m</sub> = 1.13 × 10<sup>4</sup> M<sup>−1</sup> s<sup>−1</sup> when evaluated using bis(4-nitrophenyl) phosphate as a model substrate. Ce-CHNP also demonstrates excellent stability across a wide pH range and at elevated temperatures. Mechanistic studies, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), redox assays, and <sup>31</sup>P solid-state NMR, elucidated the catalytic mechanism by which Ce(III) and Ce(IV) on nanoceria synergistically hydrolyze phosphodiester bonds. Notably, Ce-CHNP selectively hydrolyzes single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) in the presence of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). For targeting double stranded DNA (dsDNA) sequences, peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-guided Ce-CHNP system functions as a programmable nuclease to cleave single strand regions generated by PNA invasion. Our results demonstrate that Ce-CHNP offers a programmable artificial nuclease platform useful for nucleic acid processing, and future biosensing, diagnostics and therapeutic applications.</p>}},
  author       = {{Zhang, Tong and Zhang, Man and Chen, Mingli and Ye, Lei}},
  issn         = {{1385-8947}},
  keywords     = {{Artificial enzymes; Catalytic hydrogel nanoparticles; DNA cleavage; Nanoceria}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Chemical Engineering Journal}},
  title        = {{Hydrogel nanoparticle as an artificial nuclease for selective DNA cleavage}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2026.173209}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.cej.2026.173209}},
  volume       = {{529}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}