Fig. 1: Motivation and conceptualization for engineering RNA origami-based hardware for synthetic cells.

a, Biological cells function according to the central dogma (DNA serves as a template for RNA, and RNA directs protein synthesis), necessitating the involvement of about 150 genes in the translational process. By contrast, a synthetic cell built with RNA origami requires fewer genes while maintaining evolvability. b, Mechanism of co-transcriptional RNA origami. A DNA template is transcribed by RNA polymerase, whereby the RNA folds up into tiles that self-assemble into higher-order RNA origami nanotubes. The folding steps are numbered: the nascent RNA folds first into local secondary structures (stem-loops), followed by the formation of long-distance tertiary structures through internal kissing loops and finally oligomerization via various quaternary interactions (external kissing loops, overhangs and aptamers). c, Information–function correlation. Mutations on the DNA template result in RNA origami nanotubes with different properties.