Photomodulation of Caged RNA Oligonucleotide Functions in Living Systems

Abstract Using exogenous optical triggers to continuously achieve the precise conditional control of gene expression regulation and dynamic biological processes is one of the central themes of photochemical biology of nucleic acids. Light, a quick and noninvasive stimulus, is a crucial trigger for “off‐on” photoswitching of the functions of caged molecules, including peptides and proteins, as well as oligonucleotides. In this Minireview, we mainly focus on photochemical strategies based on caged RNA oligonucleotides for optochemical control of biological functions, including caged siRNA, caged miRNA, and caged guide RNA for CRISPR/Cas9. Light‐activated RNA oligonucleotide strategies will exhibit promising applications for exploring the spatiotemporal regulation of specific gene functions and the design of stimuli‐sensitive oligonucleotide prodrugs.