1
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Zhu H, Kamiya Y, Asanuma H. Illuminating miRNA Inhibition: Visualizing the Interaction between Anti-miRNA Oligonucleotide and Target miRNA Using FRET. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:2281-2289. [PMID: 37789826 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Anti-miRNA oligonucleotides (anti-miRs) effectively and specifically inhibit the function of individual miRNAs and have the potential to serve as a novel class of nucleic acid therapeutic. However, the details of the mechanisms of anti-miRs in cells have not yet been clarified sufficiently. In particular, the localization of the complexes of anti-miRs and target miRNA in cells remains unclear. We previously developed anti-miRs composed of serinol nucleic acid (SNA) that very effectively inhibited miRNA-mediated silencing activity. Here we describe an imaging system based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) designed by miRNAs labeled with fluorophore-quencher pairs and an SNA-based anti-miR labeled with an acceptor dye. We discovered that the anti-miR hybridizes with the miRNA in the miRNA-induced silencing complex (miRISC), which is the active complex formed by miRNA and Ago2 in cells within P-bodies. Based on FRET ratio analysis, we hypothesize that the complex formed by the anti-miR and the miRNA in P-bodies is dynamic, with anti-miR complexing the miRISC, followed by miRNA release and degradation. Our findings provide valuable insights into the mechanism of action of anti-miRs and enable further studies of miRNA-targeted therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyu Zhu
- Department of Bimolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603, Japan
| | - Yukiko Kamiya
- Department of Bimolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Asanuma
- Department of Bimolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603, Japan
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2
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Matsuda S, Bala S, Liao JY, Datta D, Mikami A, Woods L, Harp JM, Gilbert JA, Bisbe A, Manoharan RM, Kim M, Theile CS, Guenther DC, Jiang Y, Agarwal S, Maganti R, Schlegel MK, Zlatev I, Charisse K, Rajeev KG, Castoreno A, Maier M, Janas MM, Egli M, Chaput JC, Manoharan M. Shorter Is Better: The α-(l)-Threofuranosyl Nucleic Acid Modification Improves Stability, Potency, Safety, and Ago2 Binding and Mitigates Off-Target Effects of Small Interfering RNAs. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:19691-19706. [PMID: 37638886 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c04744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Chemical modifications are necessary to ensure the metabolic stability and efficacy of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics. Here, we describe analyses of the α-(l)-threofuranosyl nucleic acid (TNA) modification, which has a shorter 3'-2' internucleotide linkage than the natural DNA and RNA, in the context of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). The TNA modification enhanced nuclease resistance more than 2'-O-methyl or 2'-fluoro ribose modifications. TNA-containing siRNAs were prepared as triantennary N-acetylgalactosamine conjugates and were tested in cultured cells and mice. With the exceptions of position 2 of the antisense strand and position 11 of the sense strand, the TNA modification did not inhibit the activity of the RNA interference machinery. In a rat toxicology study, TNA placed at position 7 of the antisense strand of the siRNA mitigated off-target effects, likely due to the decrease in the thermodynamic binding affinity relative to the 2'-O-methyl residue. Analysis of the crystal structure of an RNA octamer with a single TNA on each strand showed that the tetrose sugar adopts a C4'-exo pucker. Computational models of siRNA antisense strands containing TNA bound to Argonaute 2 suggest that TNA is well accommodated in the region kinked by the enzyme. The combined data indicate that the TNA nucleotides are promising modifications expected to increase the potency, duration of action, and safety of siRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeo Matsuda
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Saikat Bala
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-3958, United States
| | - Jen-Yu Liao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-3958, United States
| | - Dhrubajyoti Datta
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Atsushi Mikami
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Lauren Woods
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Joel M Harp
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Jason A Gilbert
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Anna Bisbe
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Rajar M Manoharan
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - MaryBeth Kim
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Christopher S Theile
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Dale C Guenther
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Yongfeng Jiang
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Saket Agarwal
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Rajanikanth Maganti
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Mark K Schlegel
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Ivan Zlatev
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Klaus Charisse
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | | | - Adam Castoreno
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Martin Maier
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Maja M Janas
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Martin Egli
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - John C Chaput
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-3958, United States
| | - Muthiah Manoharan
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
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3
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Kawamoto Y, Wu Y, Takahashi Y, Takakura Y. Development of nucleic acid medicines based on chemical technology. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2023; 199:114872. [PMID: 37244354 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2023.114872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Oligonucleotide-based therapeutics have attracted attention as an emerging modality that includes the modulation of genes and their binding proteins related to diseases, allowing us to take action on previously undruggable targets. Since the late 2010s, the number of oligonucleotide medicines approved for clinical uses has dramatically increased. Various chemistry-based technologies have been developed to improve the therapeutic properties of oligonucleotides, such as chemical modification, conjugation, and nanoparticle formation, which can increase nuclease resistance, enhance affinity and selectivity to target sites, suppress off-target effects, and improve pharmacokinetic properties. Similar strategies employing modified nucleobases and lipid nanoparticles have been used for developing coronavirus disease 2019 mRNA vaccines. In this review, we provide an overview of the development of chemistry-based technologies aimed at using nucleic acids for developing therapeutics over the past several decades, with a specific emphasis on the structural design and functionality of chemical modification strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Kawamoto
- Department of Biopharmaceutics and Drug Metabolism, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
| | - You Wu
- Department of Biopharmaceutics and Drug Metabolism, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Yuki Takahashi
- Department of Biopharmaceutics and Drug Metabolism, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Yoshinobu Takakura
- Department of Biopharmaceutics and Drug Metabolism, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
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4
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Datta D, Theile CS, Wassarman K, Qin J, Racie T, Schmidt K, Jiang Y, Sigel R, Janas MM, Egli M, Manoharan M. Rational optimization of siRNA to ensure strand bias in the interaction with the RNA-induced silencing complex. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023; 59:6347-6350. [PMID: 37144553 DOI: 10.1039/d3cc01143g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
To ensure specificity of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), the antisense strand must be selected by the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). We have previously demonstrated that a 5'-morpholino-modified nucleotide at the 5'-end of the sense strand inhibits its interaction with RISC ensuring selection of the desired antisense strand. To improve this antagonizing binding property even further, a new set of morpholino-based analogues, Mo2 and Mo3, and a piperidine analogue, Pip, were designed based on the known structure of Argonaute2, the slicer enzyme component of RISC. Sense strands of siRNAs were modified with these new analogues, and the siRNAs were evaluated in vitro and in mice for RNAi activity. Our data demonstrated that Mo2 is the best RISC inhibitor among the modifications tested and that it effectively mitigates sense strand-based off-target activity of siRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhrubajyoti Datta
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
| | - Christopher S Theile
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
| | - Kelly Wassarman
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
| | - June Qin
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
| | - Tim Racie
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
| | - Karyn Schmidt
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
| | - Yongfeng Jiang
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
| | - Rachel Sigel
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
| | - Maja M Janas
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
| | - Martin Egli
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Muthiah Manoharan
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
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5
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Egli M, Schlegel MK, Manoharan M. Acyclic ( S)-glycol nucleic acid ( S-GNA) modification of siRNAs improves the safety of RNAi therapeutics while maintaining potency. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 29:402-414. [PMID: 36725319 PMCID: PMC10019370 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079526.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Glycol nucleic acid (GNA) is an acyclic nucleic acid analog connected via phosphodiester bonds. Crystal structures of RNA-GNA chimeric duplexes indicated that nucleotides of the right-handed (S)-GNA were better accommodated in the right-handed RNA duplex than were the left-handed (R)-isomers. GNA nucleotides adopt a rotated nucleobase orientation within all duplex contexts, pairing with complementary RNA in a reverse Watson-Crick mode, which explains the inabilities of GNA C and G to form strong base pairs with complementary nucleotides. Transposition of the hydrogen bond donor and acceptor pairs using novel (S)-GNA isocytidine and isoguanosine nucleotides resulted in stable base-pairing with the complementary G and C ribonucleotides, respectively. GNA nucleotide or dinucleotide incorporation into an oligonucleotide increased resistance against 3'-exonuclease-mediated degradation. Consistent with the structural observations, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) modified with (S)-GNA had greater in vitro potencies than identical sequences containing (R)-GNA. (S)-GNA is well tolerated in the seed regions of antisense and sense strands of a GalNAc-conjugated siRNA in vitro. The siRNAs containing a GNA base pair in the seed region had in vivo potency when subcutaneously injected into mice. Importantly, seed pairing destabilization resulting from a single GNA nucleotide at position 7 of the antisense strand mitigated RNAi-mediated off-target effects in a rodent model. Two GNA-modified siRNAs have shown an improved safety profile in humans compared with their non-GNA-modified counterparts, and several additional siRNAs containing the GNA modification are currently in clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Egli
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Mark K Schlegel
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
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6
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Kumar V, Turnbull WB. Targeted delivery of oligonucleotides using multivalent protein-carbohydrate interactions. Chem Soc Rev 2023; 52:1273-1287. [PMID: 36723021 PMCID: PMC9940626 DOI: 10.1039/d2cs00788f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Cell surface protein-carbohydrate interactions are essential for tissue-specific recognition and endocytosis of viruses, some bacteria and their toxins, and many glycoproteins. Often protein-carbohydrate interactions are multivalent - multiple copies of glycans bind simultaneously to multimeric receptors. Multivalency enhances both affinity and binding specificity, and is of interest for targeted delivery of drugs to specific cell types. The first such example of carbohydrate-mediated drug delivery to reach the clinic is Givosiran, a small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) that is conjugated to a trivalent N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) ligand. This ligand enables efficient uptake of the nucleic acid by the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R) on hepatocytes. Synthetic multivalent ligands for ASGP-R were among the first 'cluster glycosides' developed at the birth of multivalent glycoscience around 40 years ago. In this review we trace the history of 'GalNAc targeting' from early academic studies to current pharmaceuticals and consider what other opportunities could follow the success of this delivery technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vajinder Kumar
- Department of Chemistry, Akal University, Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda, Punjab, India.
- School of Chemistry and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
| | - W Bruce Turnbull
- School of Chemistry and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
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7
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Sato F, Kamiya Y, Asanuma H. Syntheses of Base-Labile Pseudo-Complementary SNA and l- aTNA Phosphoramidite Monomers. J Org Chem 2023; 88:796-804. [PMID: 36608022 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.2c01911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
We previously synthesized phosphoramidite monomers bearing Boc-protected 2,6-diaminopurine (D) and 2-methyl-4-methoxybenzyl-protected 2-thiouracil (sU) as building blocks for the preparation of pseudo-complementary serinol nucleic acids (SNAs). Since SNA is stable under acidic conditions, an acid-deprotection step could be inserted into the work-up. However, as the 4,4'-dimethoxytrityl group was concurrently removed at this step, purification of SNA by reversed-phase HPLC was difficult. Here, we report the syntheses of SNA and acyclic l-threoninol nucleic acid (l-aTNA) phosphoramidite monomers with bis(phenoxyacetyl)-protected D and 4-acetoxybenzyl-protected sU, both of which can be deprotected under mild basic conditions. Using these monomers, we prepared pseudo-complementary SNA and l-aTNA in high yield using conventional oligonucleotide synthesis protocols. These monomers can be used for large-scale syntheses of SNAs and l-aTNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuminori Sato
- Department of Bimolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603, Japan
| | - Yukiko Kamiya
- Department of Bimolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Asanuma
- Department of Bimolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603, Japan
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8
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Fàbrega C, Aviñó A, Eritja R. Chemical Modifications in Nucleic Acids for Therapeutic and Diagnostic Applications. CHEM REC 2021; 22:e202100270. [DOI: 10.1002/tcr.202100270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carme Fàbrega
- Department of Surfactants and Nanobiotechnology Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC) Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) Jordi Girona 18–26 E-08034 Barcelona Spain
- Networking Center on Bioengineering Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) E-08034 Barcelona Spain
| | - Anna Aviñó
- Department of Surfactants and Nanobiotechnology Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC) Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) Jordi Girona 18–26 E-08034 Barcelona Spain
- Networking Center on Bioengineering Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) E-08034 Barcelona Spain
| | - Ramon Eritja
- Department of Surfactants and Nanobiotechnology Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC) Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) Jordi Girona 18–26 E-08034 Barcelona Spain
- Networking Center on Bioengineering Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) E-08034 Barcelona Spain
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9
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Intrastrand backbone-nucleobase interactions stabilize unwound right-handed helical structures of heteroduplexes of L-aTNA/RNA and SNA/RNA. Commun Chem 2020; 3:156. [PMID: 36703369 PMCID: PMC9814321 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-020-00400-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Xeno nucleic acids, which are synthetic analogues of natural nucleic acids, have potential for use in nucleic acid drugs and as orthogonal genetic biopolymers and prebiotic precursors. Although few acyclic nucleic acids can stably bind to RNA and DNA, serinol nucleic acid (SNA) and L-threoninol nucleic acid (L-aTNA) stably bind to them. Here we disclose crystal structures of RNA hybridizing with SNA and with L-aTNA. The heteroduplexes show unwound right-handed helical structures. Unlike canonical A-type duplexes, the base pairs in the heteroduplexes align perpendicularly to the helical axes, and consequently helical pitches are large. The unwound helical structures originate from interactions between nucleobases and neighbouring backbones of L-aTNA and SNA through CH-O bonds. In addition, SNA and L-aTNA form a triplex structure via C:G*G parallel Hoogsteen interactions with RNA. The unique structural features of the RNA-recognizing mode of L-aTNA and SNA should prove useful in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and basic research into prebiotic chemistry.
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10
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Weingärtner A, Bethge L, Weiss L, Sternberger M, Lindholm MW. Less Is More: Novel Hepatocyte-Targeted siRNA Conjugates for Treatment of Liver-Related Disorders. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2020; 21:242-250. [PMID: 32590173 PMCID: PMC7321783 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2020.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
N-acetyl-galactosamine (GalNAc) conjugation enhances liver specificity for therapeutic oligonucleotides. Here we report on a novel design with improved activity and stability compared with a triantennary design. We applied a versatile monovalent serinol-GalNAc conjugation strategy. First, 1-4 serial serinol-linked GalNAc units were conjugated to terminal positions of small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules. In primary hepatocytes, 5' antisense GalNAc conjugates were inactive, whereas 3' antisense and 3' or 5' sense conjugates displayed low activity for single GalNAc units, while 2-4 serial GalNAc conjugates were all equally potent. In mice, 5' sense conjugates with 2-4 serial GalNAc units were all as potent as a triantennary GalNAc control (1 mg/kg). Second, increased spacing between two serial 5' sense-conjugated GalNAc units did not affect in vitro activity. Finally, two single GalNAc units were positioned at opposite ends of the sense strand. A single dose (0.3 mg/kg) of this novel conjugate in mice showed a 3-fold reduction of serum target protein level at day 7 and 4-fold lower serum level at day 27, relative to an equimolar dose of a triantennary GalNAc conjugate of the same siRNA. Improved tritosome stability (by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry [LC-MS] analysis) can at least partially explain the increased activity and duration of action for the novel GalNAc conjugate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien Weingärtner
- Silence Therapeutics GmbH, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Lucas Bethge
- Silence Therapeutics GmbH, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lisa Weiss
- Silence Therapeutics GmbH, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Maria Sternberger
- Silence Therapeutics GmbH, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
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11
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Kamiya Y, Takeyama Y, Mizuno T, Satoh F, Asanuma H. Investigation of Strand-Selective Interaction of SNA-Modified siRNA with AGO2-MID. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21155218. [PMID: 32717920 PMCID: PMC7432901 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21155218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Small interfering RNA (siRNA) has been recognized as a powerful gene-silencing tool. For therapeutic application, chemical modification is often required to improve the properties of siRNA, including its nuclease resistance, activity, off-target effects, and tissue distribution. Careful siRNA guide strand selection in the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) is important to increase the RNA interference (RNAi) activity as well as to reduce off-target effects. The passenger strand-mediated off-target activity was previously reduced and on-target activity was enhanced by substitution with acyclic artificial nucleic acid, namely serinol nucleic acid (SNA). In the present study, the reduction of off-target activity caused by the passenger strand was investigated by modifying siRNAs with SNA. The interactions of SNA-substituted mononucleotides, dinucleotides, and (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl (TEMPO)-labeled double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) with the MID domain of the Argonaute 2 (AGO2) protein, which plays a pivotal role in strand selection by accommodation of the 5’-terminus of siRNA, were comprehensively analyzed. The obtained nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data revealed that AGO2-MID selectively bound to the guide strand of siRNA due to the inhibitory effect of the SNA backbone located at the 5’ end of the passenger strand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukiko Kamiya
- Correspondence: (Y.K.); (H.A.); Tel.: +81-52-789-2552 (Y.K.); +81-52-789-2488 (H.A.)
| | | | | | | | - Hiroyuki Asanuma
- Correspondence: (Y.K.); (H.A.); Tel.: +81-52-789-2552 (Y.K.); +81-52-789-2488 (H.A.)
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12
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Kamiya Y, Sato F, Murayama K, Kodama A, Uchiyama S, Asanuma H. Incorporation of Pseudo-complementary Bases 2,6-Diaminopurine and 2-Thiouracil into Serinol Nucleic Acid (SNA) to Promote SNA/RNA Hybridization. Chem Asian J 2020; 15:1266-1271. [PMID: 32020729 DOI: 10.1002/asia.201901728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Serinol nucleic acid (SNA) is a promising candidate for nucleic acid-based molecular probes and drugs due to its high affinity for RNA. Our previous work revealed that incorporation of 2,6-diaminpurine (D), which can form three hydrogen bonds with uracil, into SNA increases the melting temperature of SNA-RNA duplexes. However, D incorporation into short self-complementary regions of SNA promoted self-dimerization and hindered hybridization with RNA. Here we synthesized a SNA monomer of 2-thiouracil (sU), which was expected to inhibit base pairing with D by steric hindrance between sulfur and the amino group. To prepare the SNA containing D and sU in high yield, we customized the protecting groups on D and sU monomers that can be readily deprotected under acidic conditions. Incorporation of D and sU into SNA facilitated stable duplex formation with target RNA by suppressing the self-hybridization of SNA and increasing the stability of the heteroduplex of SNA and its complementary RNA. Our results have important implications for the development of SNA-based probes and nucleic acid drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukiko Kamiya
- Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku,
| | - Fuminori Sato
- Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku,
| | - Keiji Murayama
- Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku,
| | - Atsuji Kodama
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan
| | - Susumu Uchiyama
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan.,Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Asanuma
- Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku,
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13
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Alagia A, Jorge AF, Aviñó A, Cova TFGG, Crehuet R, Grijalvo S, Pais AACC, Eritja R. Exploring PAZ/3'-overhang interaction to improve siRNA specificity. A combined experimental and modeling study. Chem Sci 2018; 9:2074-2086. [PMID: 29719684 PMCID: PMC5896489 DOI: 10.1039/c8sc00010g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The understanding of the dynamical and mechanistic aspects that lie behind siRNA-based gene regulation is a requisite to boost the performance of siRNA therapeutics. A systematic experimental and computational study on the 3'-overhang structural requirements for the design of more specific and potent siRNA molecules was carried out using nucleotide analogues differing in structural parameters, such as sugar constraint, lack of nucleobase, distance between the phosphodiester backbone and nucleobase, enantioselectivity, and steric hindrance. The results established a set of rules governing the siRNA-mediated silencing, indicating that the thermodynamic stability of the 5'-end is a crucial determinant for antisense-mediated silencing but is not sufficient to avoid sense-mediated silencing. Both theoretical and experimental approaches consistently evidence the existence of a direct connection between the PAZ/3'-overhang binding affinity and siRNA's potency and specificity. An overall description of the systems is thus achieved by atomistic simulations and free energy calculations that allow us to propose a robust and self-contained procedure for studying the factors implied in PAZ/3'-overhang siRNA interactions. A higher RNAi activity is associated with a moderate-to-strong PAZ/3'-overhang binding. Contrarily, lower binding energies compromise siRNA potency, increase specificity, and favor siRNA downregulation by Ago2-independent mechanisms. This work provides in-depth details for the design of powerful and safe synthetic nucleotide analogues for substitution at the 3'-overhang, enabling some of the intrinsic siRNA disadvantages to be overcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adele Alagia
- Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) , Jordi Girona 18-26 , E-08034 Barcelona , Spain . ; ; Tel: +34 934006145
- Networking Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) , Jordi Girona 18-26 , E-08034 Barcelona , Spain
| | - Andreia F Jorge
- CQC , Department of Chemistry , University of Coimbra , Rua Larga , 3004-535 Coimbra , Portugal .
| | - Anna Aviñó
- Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) , Jordi Girona 18-26 , E-08034 Barcelona , Spain . ; ; Tel: +34 934006145
- Networking Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) , Jordi Girona 18-26 , E-08034 Barcelona , Spain
| | - Tânia F G G Cova
- CQC , Department of Chemistry , University of Coimbra , Rua Larga , 3004-535 Coimbra , Portugal .
| | - Ramon Crehuet
- Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) , Jordi Girona 18-26 , E-08034 Barcelona , Spain . ; ; Tel: +34 934006145
| | - Santiago Grijalvo
- Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) , Jordi Girona 18-26 , E-08034 Barcelona , Spain . ; ; Tel: +34 934006145
- Networking Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) , Jordi Girona 18-26 , E-08034 Barcelona , Spain
| | - Alberto A C C Pais
- CQC , Department of Chemistry , University of Coimbra , Rua Larga , 3004-535 Coimbra , Portugal .
| | - Ramon Eritja
- Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) , Jordi Girona 18-26 , E-08034 Barcelona , Spain . ; ; Tel: +34 934006145
- Networking Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) , Jordi Girona 18-26 , E-08034 Barcelona , Spain
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14
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Kamiya Y, Donoshita Y, Kamimoto H, Murayama K, Ariyoshi J, Asanuma H. Introduction of 2,6-Diaminopurines into Serinol Nucleic Acid Improves Anti-miRNA Performance. Chembiochem 2017; 18:1917-1922. [PMID: 28748559 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201700272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level by sequence-specific hybridisation. Anti-miRNA oligonucleotides (AMOs) are inhibitors of miRNA activity. Chemical modification of AMOs is required to increase binding affinity and stability in serum and cells. In this study, we synthesised AMOs with our original acyclic nucleic acid, serinol nucleic acid (SNA), backbone and with the artificial nucleobase 2,6-diaminopurine. The AMO composed of only SNA had strong nuclease resistance and blocked endogenous miRNA activity. A significant improvement in anti-miRNA activity of the AMO was achieved by introduction of a 2,6-diaminopurine residues into the SNA backbone. In addition, we found that the enhancement in AMO activity depended on the position of the 2,6-diaminopurine residue in the sequence. The high potency of the SNA-AMOs suggests that these oligomers will be useful as therapeutic reagents for control of miRNA function in patients and as tools for investigating the roles of microRNAs in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukiko Kamiya
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan
| | - Yuka Donoshita
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kamimoto
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan
| | - Keiji Murayama
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan
| | - Jumpei Ariyoshi
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan.,Venture Business Laboratory (VBL), Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Asanuma
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan
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15
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Schlegel MK, Foster DJ, Kel'in AV, Zlatev I, Bisbe A, Jayaraman M, Lackey JG, Rajeev KG, Charissé K, Harp J, Pallan PS, Maier MA, Egli M, Manoharan M. Chirality Dependent Potency Enhancement and Structural Impact of Glycol Nucleic Acid Modification on siRNA. J Am Chem Soc 2017; 139:8537-8546. [PMID: 28570818 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b02694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Here we report the investigation of glycol nucleic acid (GNA), an acyclic nucleic acid analogue, as a modification of siRNA duplexes. We evaluated the impact of (S)- or (R)-GNA nucleotide incorporation on RNA duplex structure by determining three individual crystal structures. These structures indicate that the (S)-nucleotide backbone adopts a conformation that has little impact on the overall duplex structure, while the (R)-nucleotide disrupts the phosphate backbone and hydrogen bonding of an adjacent base pair. In addition, the GNA-T nucleobase adopts a rotated conformation in which the 5-methyl group points into the minor groove, rather than the major groove as in a normal Watson-Crick base pair. This observation of reverse Watson-Crick base pairing is further supported by thermal melting analysis of GNA-C and GNA-G containing duplexes where it was demonstrated that a higher thermal stability was associated with isoguanine and isocytosine base pairing, respectively, over the canonical nucleobases. Furthermore, it was also shown that GNA nucleotide or dinucleotide incorporation increases resistance against snake venom phosphodiesterase. Consistent with the structural data, modification of an siRNA with (S)-GNA resulted in greater in vitro potencies over identical sequences containing (R)-GNA. A walk of (S)-GNA along the guide and passenger strands of a GalNAc conjugate duplex targeting mouse transthyretin (TTR) indicated that GNA is well tolerated in the seed region of both strands in vitro, resulting in an approximate 2-fold improvement in potency. Finally, these conjugate duplexes modified with GNA were capable of maintaining in vivo potency when subcutaneously injected into mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark K Schlegel
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , 300 Third Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Donald J Foster
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , 300 Third Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Alexander V Kel'in
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , 300 Third Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Ivan Zlatev
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , 300 Third Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Anna Bisbe
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , 300 Third Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Muthusamy Jayaraman
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , 300 Third Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Jeremy G Lackey
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , 300 Third Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | | | - Klaus Charissé
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , 300 Third Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Joel Harp
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , Department of Biochemistry, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Pradeep S Pallan
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , Department of Biochemistry, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Martin A Maier
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , 300 Third Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Martin Egli
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , Department of Biochemistry, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Muthiah Manoharan
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , 300 Third Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
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16
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Kitamura Y. Synthesis of Nucleic Acid Mimics and Their Application in Nucleic Acid-based Medicine. YAKUGAKU ZASSHI 2017; 136:1491-1499. [PMID: 27803480 DOI: 10.1248/yakushi.16-00180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Nucleic acid-based drugs (NABDs) have recently attracted considerable attention as next-generation medicines, following the development of low molecular-weight and antibody drugs, because it is likely that they will have fewer side effects and greater target specificity than conventional medicines. Short double-stranded RNAs contain a 2-nucleotide overhang at the 3'-end of each strand. Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) inhibit gene expression by RNA interference (RNAi) and thus have great potential as NABDs. However, naked RNA strands have many problems that hinder their application as therapeutics, such as their rapid degradation in biological fluids, poor cellular uptake, and off-target effects. Therefore, artificially modified siRNAs and miRNAs have been studied extensively in an effort to overcome these problems. In this review, I summarize my recent studies on the synthesis of nucleic acid mimics and their application in RNAi-based medicine. The following two topics are specifically discussed: 1) the design and synthesis of chemically modified functional RNAs bearing nucleic acid mimics at their 3'-overhang region, which plays a key role in RNAi; and 2) the practical, reliable synthesis of nucleic acid mimics containing ethynyl groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiaki Kitamura
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Faculty of Engineering, Gifu University
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17
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Carnero A, Pérez-Rentero S, Alagia A, Aviñó A, Sanghvi YS, Fernández S, Ferrero M, Eritja R. The impact of an extended nucleobase-2′-deoxyribose linker in the biophysical and biological properties of oligonucleotides. RSC Adv 2017. [DOI: 10.1039/c6ra26852h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The introduction of a novel thymine derivative at the 3′-end of the sense strand generates more potent and selective siRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Carnero
- Departamento de Química Orgánica e Inorgánica
- Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias
- Universidad de Oviedo
- 33006-Oviedo
- Spain
| | - Sónia Pérez-Rentero
- Dpt. Chemical & Biomolecular Nanotechnology
- Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC)
- CSIC
- 08034-Barcelona
- Spain
| | - Adele Alagia
- Dpt. Chemical & Biomolecular Nanotechnology
- Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC)
- CSIC
- 08034-Barcelona
- Spain
| | - Anna Aviñó
- Dpt. Chemical & Biomolecular Nanotechnology
- Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC)
- CSIC
- 08034-Barcelona
- Spain
| | | | - Susana Fernández
- Departamento de Química Orgánica e Inorgánica
- Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias
- Universidad de Oviedo
- 33006-Oviedo
- Spain
| | - Miguel Ferrero
- Departamento de Química Orgánica e Inorgánica
- Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias
- Universidad de Oviedo
- 33006-Oviedo
- Spain
| | - Ramon Eritja
- Dpt. Chemical & Biomolecular Nanotechnology
- Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC)
- CSIC
- 08034-Barcelona
- Spain
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18
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Le BT, Murayama K, Shabanpoor F, Asanuma H, Veedu RN. Antisense oligonucleotide modified with serinol nucleic acid (SNA) induces exon skipping in mdx myotubes. RSC Adv 2017. [DOI: 10.1039/c7ra06091b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigated the potential of SNA-modified antisense oligonucleotide (AO) for exon-skipping. We found that a 20-mer SNA-AO induced efficient exon-23 skipping in the mouse dystrophin gene transcript.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bao T. Le
- Centre for Comparative Genomics
- Murdoch University
- Perth
- Australia-6150
- Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science
| | - Keiji Murayama
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering
- Nagoya University
- Nagoya 464-8603
- Japan
| | - Fazel Shabanpoor
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health
- University of Melbourne
- Australia
| | - Hiroyuki Asanuma
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering
- Nagoya University
- Nagoya 464-8603
- Japan
| | - Rakesh N. Veedu
- Centre for Comparative Genomics
- Murdoch University
- Perth
- Australia-6150
- Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science
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19
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Design of photofunctional oligonucleotides by copolymerization of natural nucleobases with base surrogates prepared from acyclic scaffolds. Polym J 2016. [DOI: 10.1038/pj.2016.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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20
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Kumar V, Gothelf KV. Synthesis and biophysical properties of (L)-aTNA based G-quadruplexes. Org Biomol Chem 2016; 14:1540-4. [PMID: 26731694 DOI: 10.1039/c5ob02525g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Novel G-quadruplex structures are constructed by acyclic (L)-threninol nucleic acid and their synthesis and biophysical properties are described. Pyrene excimer fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) data revealed that four strands of aTNA are oriented in antiparallel direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vipin Kumar
- Danish National Research Foundation Center for DNA Nanotechnology, iNANO and Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Kurt V Gothelf
- Danish National Research Foundation Center for DNA Nanotechnology, iNANO and Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
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21
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22
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Alagia A, Eritja R. siRNA and RNAi optimization. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2016; 7:316-29. [PMID: 26840434 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2015] [Revised: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 12/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The discovery and examination of the posttranscriptional gene regulatory mechanism known as RNA interference (RNAi) contributed to the identification of small interfering RNA (siRNA) and the comprehension of its enormous potential for clinical purposes. Theoretically, the ability of specific target gene downregulation makes the RNAi pathway an appealing solution for several diseases. Despite numerous hurdles resulting from the inherent properties of siRNA molecule and proper delivery to the target tissue, more than 50 RNA-based drugs are currently under clinical testing. In this work, we analyze the recent literature in the optimization of siRNA molecules. In detail, we focused on describing the most recent advances of siRNA field aimed at optimize siRNA pharmacokinetic properties. Special attention has been given in describing the impact of RNA modifications in the potential off-target effects (OTEs) such as saturation of the RNAi machinery, passenger strand-mediated silencing, immunostimulation, and miRNA-like OTEs as well as to recent developments on the delivery issue. The novel delivery systems and modified siRNA provide significant steps toward the development of reliable siRNA molecules for therapeutic use. WIREs RNA 2016, 7:316-329. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1337 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adele Alagia
- Chemical and Biomolecular Nanotechnology, CIBER-BBN, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia, IQAC-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ramon Eritja
- Chemical and Biomolecular Nanotechnology, CIBER-BBN, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia, IQAC-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
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23
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siRNAmod: A database of experimentally validated chemically modified siRNAs. Sci Rep 2016; 6:20031. [PMID: 26818131 PMCID: PMC4730238 DOI: 10.1038/srep20031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology has vast potential for functional genomics and development of therapeutics. However, it faces many obstacles predominantly instability of siRNAs due to nuclease digestion and subsequently biologically short half-life. Chemical modifications in siRNAs provide means to overcome these shortcomings and improve their stability and potency. Despite enormous utility bioinformatics resource of these chemically modified siRNAs (cm-siRNAs) is lacking. Therefore, we have developed siRNAmod, a specialized databank for chemically modified siRNAs. Currently, our repository contains a total of 4894 chemically modified-siRNA sequences, comprising 128 unique chemical modifications on different positions with various permutations and combinations. It incorporates important information on siRNA sequence, chemical modification, their number and respective position, structure, simplified molecular input line entry system canonical (SMILES), efficacy of modified siRNA, target gene, cell line, experimental methods, reference etc. It is developed and hosted using Linux Apache MySQL PHP (LAMP) software bundle. Standard user-friendly browse, search facility and analysis tools are also integrated. It would assist in understanding the effect of chemical modifications and further development of stable and efficacious siRNAs for research as well as therapeutics. siRNAmod is freely available at: http://crdd.osdd.net/servers/sirnamod.
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24
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Kamiya Y, Iishiba K, Doi T, Tsuda K, Kashida H, Asanuma H. Terminus-free siRNA prepared by photo-crosslinking activated via slicing by Ago2. Biomater Sci 2015; 3:1534-8. [PMID: 26526389 DOI: 10.1039/c5bm00231a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
We report the development of photo-crosslinked siRNA strands modified at each terminus with p-cyanostilbene. The siRNA was nuclease resistant and retained RNAi activity. We further studied the activation mechanism of the covalently-crosslinked siRNA. Interestingly Dicer, which is known to generate siRNA with overhanging 3' ends from the precursor siRNA, did not cleave the crosslinked siRNA at all. Our results suggest that the activation of the crosslinked siRNAs required cleavage by Argonaute2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukiko Kamiya
- Department of Molecular Design and Engineering, Graduate school of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603, Japan.
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25
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Synthesis of a stabilized 177Lu–siRNA complex and evaluation of its stability and RNAi activity. Nucl Med Commun 2015; 36:636-45. [DOI: 10.1097/mnm.0000000000000292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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26
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Murayama K, Kamiya Y, Kashida H, Asanuma H. Ultrasensitive Molecular Beacon Designed with Totally Serinol Nucleic Acid (SNA) for Monitoring mRNA in Cells. Chembiochem 2015; 16:1298-301. [PMID: 25851922 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201500167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
An artificial nucleic acid based on acyclic serinol building blocks and termed "serinol nucleic acid" (SNA) was used to construct a fluorescent probe for RNA visualization in cells. The molecular beacon (MB) composed of only SNA with a fluorophore at one terminus and a quencher at the other was resistant to enzymatic digestion, due to its unnatural acyclic scaffold. The SNA-MB could detect its complementary RNA with extremely high sensitivity; the signal-to-background (S/B) ratio was as high as 930 when perylene and anthraquinone were used as the fluorophore and quencher pair. A high S/B ratio was also achieved with SNA-MB tethering the conventional Cy3 fluorophore, and this probe enabled selective visualization of target mRNA in fixed cells. Thus, SNA-MB has potential for use as a biological tool capable of visualizing RNA in living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keiji Murayama
- Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan)
- Venture business laboratory (VBL), Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan)
| | - Yukiko Kamiya
- Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan)
- Division of Green Conversion, EcoTopia Science Institute, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan)
| | - Hiromu Kashida
- Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan).
- PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012 (Japan).
| | - Hiroyuki Asanuma
- Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan).
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27
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Modulation of the RNA Interference Activity Using Central Mismatched siRNAs and Acyclic Threoninol Nucleic Acids (aTNA) Units. Molecules 2015; 20:7602-19. [PMID: 25919280 PMCID: PMC6272285 DOI: 10.3390/molecules20057602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2015] [Revised: 04/21/2015] [Accepted: 04/22/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The understanding of the mechanisms behind nucleotide recognition by Argonaute 2, core protein of the RNA-induced silencing complex, is a key aspect in the optimization of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) activity. To date, great efforts have been focused on the modification of certain regions of siRNA, such as the 3'/5'-termini and the seed region. Only a few reports have described the roles of central positions flanking the cleavage site during the silence process. In this study, we investigate the potential correlations between the thermodynamic and silencing properties of siRNA molecules carrying, at internal positions, an acyclic L-threoninol nucleic acid (aTNA) modification. Depending on position, the silencing is weakened or impaired. Furthermore, we evaluate the contribution of mismatches facing either a natural nucleotide or an aTNA modification to the siRNA potency. The position 11 of the antisense strand is more permissive to mismatches and aTNA modification, in respect to the position 10. Additionally, comparing the ON-/OFF-target silencing of central mismatched siRNAs with 5'-terminal modified siRNA, we concluded: (i) central perturbation of duplex pairing features weights more on potency rather than silencing asymmetry; (ii) complete bias for the ON-target silencing can be achieved with single L-threoninol modification near the 5'-end of the sense strand.
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28
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Kumar V, Kesavan V, Gothelf KV. Highly stable triple helix formation by homopyrimidine (l)-acyclic threoninol nucleic acids with single stranded DNA and RNA. Org Biomol Chem 2015; 13:2366-74. [DOI: 10.1039/c4ob02328e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Homopyrimidine acyclic (l)-threoninol nucleic acid (aTNA) was synthesized and found to form highly stable (l)-aTNA–DNA–(l)-aTNA and (l)-aTNA–RNA–(l)-aTNA triple helical structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vipin Kumar
- Chemical Biology Laboratory
- Department of Biotechnology
- Indian Institute of Technology
- Madras (IITM)
- Chennai 600036
| | - Venkitasamy Kesavan
- Chemical Biology Laboratory
- Department of Biotechnology
- Indian Institute of Technology
- Madras (IITM)
- Chennai 600036
| | - Kurt V. Gothelf
- Danish National Research Foundation Center for DNA Nanotechnology
- iNANO and Department of Chemistry
- Aarhus University
- 8000 Aarhus C
- Denmark
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29
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Murayama K, Kashida H, Asanuma H. Acyclic
l-threoninol nucleic acid (l-aTNA) with suitable structural rigidity cross-pairs with DNA and RNA. Chem Commun (Camb) 2015; 51:6500-3. [DOI: 10.1039/c4cc09244a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
We newly synthesized l-aTNA, which showed the best affinity to DNA and RNA among acyclic nucleic acids with phosphodiester linkages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keiji Murayama
- Department of Molecular Design and Engineering
- Graduate School of Engineering
- Nagoya University
- Nagoya 464-8603
- Japan
| | - Hiromu Kashida
- Department of Molecular Design and Engineering
- Graduate School of Engineering
- Nagoya University
- Nagoya 464-8603
- Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Asanuma
- Department of Molecular Design and Engineering
- Graduate School of Engineering
- Nagoya University
- Nagoya 464-8603
- Japan
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