The articles in a special collection of Biopolymers describe the ongoing evolution of peptide nucleic acid (PNA). It is a chimeric molecule consisting of both peptide and nucleic acid structural elements, first reported by Danish scientists more than 30 years ago. The uncharged and unnatural backbone of PNA sparked great interest in its use in biology. More recently, chemical modifications to the original structure are tailoring PNA for diverse applications in gene regulation, diagnostics, imaging and nanotechnology. DOI: 10.1002/bip.23523

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Biopolymers特别合集中的文章描述了肽核酸 (PNA) 的持续发展。它是由肽和核酸结构元素组成的嵌合分子，30 多年前由丹麦科学家首次报道。PNA 的不带电和非天然主链激发了人们对其在生物学中的应用的极大兴趣。最近，对原始结构的化学修饰正在为基因调控、诊断、成像和纳米技术中的各种应用定制 PNA。DOI: 10.1002/bip.23523