DNA nanostructure-assisted nanodiscs provide a toolbox to investigate membrane proteins

While the uniform and size-controllable lipid nanodiscs stabilized by protein or polymer scaffolds, which serve as powerful tools for studying membrane proteins (MPs), are widely developed, DNA nanostructures have also emerged as a robust toolbox for construction of nanodiscs because of their excellent designability and addressability. In this perspective, we summarize the achievements of nanodisc technologies, especially the DNA-assisted nanodiscs, and their applications in the investigation of structure and function of MPs. Furthermore, the advantages of a DNA toolbox, its potential in the field, and challenges are also discussed, including constructing precisely size-controllable and spatially hierarchical membrane systems, thus facilitating the investigation of MPs in a homogeneous or heterogeneous membrane environment.