Scheme 1.

Schematic illustration of a) the Cas9‐sgRNA ribonucleoprotein corona and b) light‐initiated release and activation of the ribonucleoprotein inside human cells. A photo‐cleavable linker (PC linker, blue), consisting of two cleavage sites, is hybridized with a sgRNA (red) and a thiol‐labeled short DNA (SH‐DNA, black), resulting in an assembly of the sgRNA on nanoparticles (NPs). The Cas9 protein interacts with the sgRNA to form a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) corona. The binding‐mediated ribonucleoprotein corona enters the cells without requiring transfection reagents. Light (365 nm) breaks the photocleavable linker, releasing the RNP inside the cells. The released RNP enters the nucleus and performs gene editing.