Advances in DNA-directed immobilization

• DNA-directed immobilization (DDI) is a method to create (micro)structured patterns of proteins on surfaces.
• Methods for DNA–protein conjugation and techniques for surface structuring with capture oligonucleotides are presented.
• Representative applications of DDI in different fields of interest are described.
• Emphasis is placed on the use of DDI as enabling technology for cell biology and biomedicine.

DNA-directed immobilization (DDI) of proteins is a chemically mild and highly efficient method for generating (micro)structured patterns of proteins on surfaces. Twenty years after its initial description, the DDI method has proven its robustness and versatility in numerous applications, ranging from biosensing and biomedical diagnostics, to fundamental studies in biology and medicine on the single-cell level. This review gives a brief summary on technical aspects of the DDI method and illustrates its scope for applications with an emphasis on studies in cell biology.