Metal ions that promote the hydrolysis of nucleoside phosphoesters do not enhance intramolecular phosphate migration

Zn2+ -Coordination-Driven RNA Assembly with Retained Integrity and Biological Functions

Metal-coordination-directed biomolecule crosslinking in nature has been used for synthesizing various biopolymers, including DNA, peptides, proteins, and polysaccharides. However, the RNA biopolymer has been avoided so far, as due to the poor stability of the RNA molecules, the formation of a biopolymer may alter the biological function of the molecules. Herein, for the first time, we report Zn²⁺ -driven RNA self-assembly forming spherical nanoparticles while retaining the integrity and biological function of RNA. Various functional RNAs of different compositions, shapes, and lengths from 20 to nearly 1000 nucleotides were used, highlighting the versatility of this approach. The assembled nanospheres possess a superior RNA-loading efficiency, pharmacokinetics, and bioavailability. In-vitro and in-vivo evaluation demonstrated mRNA delivery for expressing GFP proteins, and microRNA delivery to triple-negative breast cancer. This coordination-directed self-assembly behavior amplifies the horizons of RNA coordination chemistry and the application scope of RNA-based therapeutics.

Cutting in-line with iron: ribosomal function and non-oxidative RNA cleavage

Divalent metal cations are essential to the structure and function of the ribosome. Previous characterizations of the ribosome performed under standard laboratory conditions have implicated Mg²⁺ as a primary mediator of ribosomal structure and function. Possible contributions of Fe²⁺ as a ribosomal cofactor have been largely overlooked, despite the ribosome's early evolution in a high Fe²⁺ environment, and the continued use of Fe²⁺ by obligate anaerobes inhabiting high Fe²⁺ niches. Here, we show that (i) Fe²⁺ cleaves RNA by in-line cleavage, a non-oxidative mechanism that has not previously been shown experimentally for this metal, (ii) the first-order in-line rate constant with respect to divalent cations is >200 times greater with Fe²⁺ than with Mg²⁺, (iii) functional ribosomes are associated with Fe²⁺ after purification from cells grown under low O₂ and high Fe²⁺ and (iv) a small fraction of Fe²⁺ that is associated with the ribosome is not exchangeable with surrounding divalent cations, presumably because those ions are tightly coordinated by rRNA and deeply buried in the ribosome. In total, these results expand the ancient role of iron in biochemistry and highlight a possible new mechanism of iron toxicity.

Phosphodiester models for cleavage of nucleic acids

Nucleic acids that store and transfer biological information are polymeric diesters of phosphoric acid. Cleavage of the phosphodiester linkages by protein enzymes, nucleases, is one of the underlying biological processes. The remarkable catalytic efficiency of nucleases, together with the ability of ribonucleic acids to serve sometimes as nucleases, has made the cleavage of phosphodiesters a subject of intensive mechanistic studies. In addition to studies of nucleases by pH-rate dependency, X-ray crystallography, amino acid/nucleotide substitution and computational approaches, experimental and theoretical studies with small molecular model compounds still play a role. With small molecules, the importance of various elementary processes, such as proton transfer and metal ion binding, for stabilization of transition states may be elucidated and systematic variation of the basicity of the entering or departing nucleophile enables determination of the position of the transition state on the reaction coordinate. Such data is important on analyzing enzyme mechanisms based on synergistic participation of several catalytic entities. Many nucleases are metalloenzymes and small molecular models offer an excellent tool to construct models for their catalytic centers. The present review tends to be an up to date summary of what has been achieved by mechanistic studies with small molecular phosphodiesters.

Intracomplex general acid/base catalyzed cleavage of RNA phosphodiester bonds: the leaving group effect

The general acid/base catalyzed cleavage of a number of alkyl esters of uridine-3'- (and -5'-)phosphate has been studied by utilizing a cleaving agent, in which the catalytic moiety (a substituted 1,3,5-triazine) is tethered to an anchoring Zn(II):cyclen moiety. Around pH 7, formation of a strong ternary complex between uracil, Zn(II) and cyclen brings the general acid/base catalyst close to the scissile phosphodiester linkage, resulting in rate acceleration of 1-2 orders of magnitude with the uridine-3'-phosphodiesters. Curiously, no acceleration was observed with their 5'-counterparts. A β(lg) value of -0.7 has been determined for the general acid/base catalyzed cleavage, consistent with a proton transfer to the leaving group in the rate-limiting step.

The mechanism of cleavage and isomerisation of RNA promoted by an efficient dinuclear Zn2+ complex

The cleavage and isomerisation of uridine 3'-alkylphosphates was studied in the presence of a dinuclear Zn(2+) complex, 3. The rate acceleration of the cleavage by 1 mM 3 is approximately 10(6)-fold under neutral conditions. Most remarkably, the complex also promotes the isomerisation of phosphodiester bonds, although the rate-enhancement is more modest: under neutral conditions complex 3 (1 mM) catalyses isomerisation by about 500-fold. The observation of this reaction shows that the reactions of these substrates catalysed by 3 proceed through a stepwise mechanism involving an intermediate phosphorane. A β(lg) value of -0.92 was determined for the 3-promoted cleavage reaction, and modest kinetic solvent deuterium isotope effects ranging from 1.5 to 2.8 were observed. Isomerisation was less sensitive to the nature of the esterifying group, with a β value of -0.5, and the kinetic solvent deuterium isotope effects were less than 1.5. Most of these characteristics of the 3-promoted cleavage are very similar to those for the cleavage of nucleoside 3'-phosphotriesters. These data are explained by a mechanism in which the complex primarily acts as an electrophilic catalyst neutralising the charge on the phosphate and stabilising an intermediate phosphorane, with general acid catalysis promoting the cleavage reaction. In contrast to the behaviour of triesters, isomerisation is significantly slower than cleavage; this suggests that the changes in geometry that occur during isomerisation lead to a much less stable complex between 3 and the phosphorane intermediate.

Cleavage of RNA phosphodiester bonds by small molecular entities: a mechanistic insight

RNA molecules participate in many fundamental cellular processes either as a carrier of genetic information or as a catalyst, and hence, RNA has received increasing interest both as a chemotherapeutic agent and as a target of chemotherapy. In addition the dual nature of RNA has led to the RNA-world concept, i.e. an assumption that the evolution at an early stage of life was based on RNA-like oligomers that were responsible for the storage and transfer of information and as catalysts maintained primitive metabolism. Accordingly, the kinetics and mechanisms of the cleavage of RNA phosphodiester bonds have received interest and it is hoped they will shed light on the mechanisms of enzyme action and on the development of artificial enzymes. The major mechanistic findings concerning the cleavage by small molecules and ions and their significance for the development of efficient and biologically applicable artificial catalysts for RNA hydrolysis are surveyed in the present perspective.

An efficient, multiply promiscuous hydrolase in the alkaline phosphatase superfamily

We report a catalytically promiscuous enzyme able to efficiently promote the hydrolysis of six different substrate classes. Originally assigned as a phosphonate monoester hydrolase (PMH) this enzyme exhibits substantial second-order rate accelerations ((k(cat)/K(M))/k(w)), ranging from 10(7) to as high as 10(19), for the hydrolyses of phosphate mono-, di-, and triesters, phosphonate monoesters, sulfate monoesters, and sulfonate monoesters. This substrate collection encompasses a range of substrate charges between 0 and -2, transition states of a different nature, and involves attack at two different reaction centers (P and S). Intrinsic reactivities (half-lives) range from 200 days to 10(5) years under near neutrality. The substantial rate accelerations for a set of relatively difficult reactions suggest that efficient catalysis is not necessarily limited to efficient stabilization of just one transition state. The crystal structure of PMH identifies it as a member of the alkaline phosphatase superfamily. PMH encompasses four of the native activities previously observed in this superfamily and extends its repertoire by two further activities, one of which, sulfonate monoesterase, has not been observed previously for a natural enzyme. PMH is thus one of the most promiscuous hydrolases described to date. The functional links between superfamily activities can be presumed to have played a role in functional evolution by gene duplication.

Base moiety selectivity in cleavage of short oligoribonucleotides by di- and tri-nuclear Zn(II) complexes of azacrown-derived ligands

Cleavage of 6-mer oligoribonucleotides by the dinuclear Zn2+ complex of 1,3-bis[(1,5,9-triazacyclododecan-3-yl)oxymethyl]benzene (L1) and the trinuclear Zn2+ complex of 1,3,5-tris[(1,5,9-triazacyclododecan-3-yl)oxymethyl]benzene (L3) has been studied. The dinuclear complex cleaves at sufficiently low concentrations ([(Zn2+)2L1] < or = 0.1 mmol L(-1)) the 5'NpU3' and 5'UpN3' bonds (N = G, C, A) much more readily than the other phosphodiester bonds, but leaves the 5'UpU3' site intact. The trinuclear (Zn2+)3L3 complex, in turn, cleaves the 5'UpU3' bond more readily than any other linkages, even faster than the 5'NpU3' and 5'UpN3' sites. Somewhat unexpectedly, the 5'UpNpU3' site is cleaved only slowly by both the di- and tri-nuclear complex. The base-moiety selectivity remains qualitatively similar, though slightly less pronounced, when the hexanucleotides are closed to hairpin loops by three additional CG-pairs of 2'-O-methylribonucleotides. Phosphodiester bonds within a double helical stem are not cleaved, not even the 5'UpU3' sites. Guanine base also becomes recognized by (Zn2+)2L1 and (Zn2+)3L3, but the affinity to G is clearly lower than to U. The trinuclear cleaving agent, however, cleaves the 5'GpG3' bond only 35% less readily than the 5'UpU3' bond.

Cleavage and isomerization of UpU promoted by dinuclear metal ion complexes

The catalysis of phosphoryl transfer by metal ions has been intensively studied in both biological and artificial systems, but the status of the transient pentacoordinate phosphoryl species (as transition state or intermediate) is the subject of considerable debate. We report that dinuclear metal ion complexes that incorporate second sphere hydrogen bond donors not only promote the cleavage of RNA fragments just as efficiently as the activated analogue HPNPP but also provide the first examples of metal ion catalyzed phosphate diester isomerization close to neutral pH. This observation implies that the reaction catalyzed by these complexes involves the formation of a phosphorane intermediate that is sufficiently long-lived to pseudorotate.

Simultaneous Interaction with Base and Phosphate Moieties Modulates the Phosphodiester Cleavage of Dinucleoside 3‘,5‘-Monophosphates by Dinuclear Zn2+Complexes of Di(azacrown) Ligands

Five dinucleating ligands (1-5) and one trinucleating ligand (6) incorporating 1,5,9-triazacyclododecan-3-yloxy groups attached to an aromatic scaffold have been synthesized. The ability of the Zn(2+) complexes of these ligands to promote the transesterification of dinucleoside 3',5'-monophosphates to a 2',3'-cyclic phosphate derived from the 3'-linked nucleoside by release of the 5'-linked nucleoside has been studied over a narrow pH range, from pH 5.8 to 7.2, at 90 degrees C. The dinuclear complexes show marked base moiety selectivity. Among the four dinucleotide 3',5'-phosphates studied, viz. adenylyl-3',5'-adenosine (ApA), adenylyl-3',5'-uridine (ApU), uridylyl-3',5'-adenosine (UpA), and uridylyl-3',5'-uridine (UpU), the dimers containing one uracil base (ApU and UpA) are cleaved up to 2 orders of magnitude more readily than those containing either two uracil bases (UpU) or two adenine bases (ApA). The trinuclear complex (6), however, cleaves UpU as readily as ApU and UpA, while the cleavage of ApA remains slow. UV spectrophotometric and (1)H NMR spectroscopic studies with one of the dinucleating ligands (3) verify binding to the bases of UpU and ApU at less than millimolar concentrations, while no interaction with the base moieties of ApA is observed. With ApU and UpA, one of the Zn(2+)-azacrown moieties in all likelihood anchors the cleaving agent to the uracil base of the substrate, while the other azacrown moiety serves as a catalyst for the phosphodiester transesterification. With UpU, two azacrown moieties are engaged in the base moiety binding. The catalytic activity is, hence, lost, but it can be restored by addition of a third azacrown group on the cleaving agent.

Artificial ribonucleases

Mimicking the action of enzymes by simpler and more robust man-made catalysts has long inspired bioorganic chemists. During the past decade, mimics for RNA-cleaving enzymes, ribonucleases, or, more precisely, mimics of ribozymes that cleave RNA in sequence-selective rather than base-selective manner, have received special attention. These artificial ribonucleases are typically oligonucleotides (or their structural analogs) that bear a catalytically active conjugate group and catalyze sequence-selective hydrolysis of RNA phosphodiester bonds.

In Vitro Selection of High Temperature Zn2+-Dependent DNAzymes

In vitro selection of Zn(2+)-dependent RNA-cleaving DNAzymes with activity at 90 degrees C has yielded a diverse spool of selected sequences. The RNA cleavage efficiency was found in all cases to be specific for Zn(2+) over Pb(2+), Ca(2+), Cd(2+), Co(2+), Hg(2+), and Mg(2+). The Zn(2+)-dependent activity assay of the most active sequence showed that the DNAzyme possesses an apparent Zn(2+)-binding dissociation constant of 234 muM and that its activity increases with increasing temperatures from 50-90 degrees C. A fit of the Arrhenius plot data gave E(a) = 15.3 kcal mol(-1). Surprisingly, the selected Zn(2+)-dependent DNAzymes showed only a modest (approximately 3-fold) activity enhancement over the background rate of cleavage of random sequences containing a single embedded ribonucleotide within an otherwise DNA oligonucleotide. The result is attributable to the ability of DNA to sustain cleavage activity at high temperature with minimal secondary structure when Zn(2+) is present. Since this effect is highly specific for Zn(2+), this metal ion may play a special role in molecular evolution of nucleic acids at high temperature.

Sequence-selective cleavage of oligoribonucleotides by 3d transition metal complexes of 1,5,9-triazacyclododecane-functionalized 2'-O-methyl oligoribonucleotides

2'-O-Methyl oligoribonucleotides bearing a 3'-[2,6-dioxo-3,7-diaza-10-(1,5,9-triazacyclododec-3-yl)decyl phospate conjugate group have been shown to cleave in slight excess of Zn(2+) ions complementary oligoribonucleotides at the 5'-side of the last base-paired nucleotide. The cleavage obeys first-order kinetics and exhibits turnover. The acceleration compared to the monomeric Zn(2+) 1,5,9-triazacyclododecane chelate is more than 100-fold. In addition, 2'-O-methyl oligoribonucleotides having the 1,5,9-triazacyclododec-3-yl group tethered to the anomeric carbon of an intrachain 2-deoxy-beta-d-erythro-pentofuranosyl group via a 2-oxo-3-azahexyl, 2,6-dioxo-3,7-diazadecyl, or 2,9-dioxo-3,10-diazatridecyl linker have been studied as cleaving agents. These cleave as zinc chelates a tri- and pentaadenyl bulge opposite to the conjugate group approximately 50 times as fast as the monomeric chelate and show turnover. The cleavage rate is rather insensitive to the length of linker. Interestingly, a triuridyl bulge remains virtually intact in striking contrast to a triadenyl bulge. Evidently binding of the zinc chelate to a uracil base prevents its catalytic action. Replacement of Zn(2+) with Cu(2+) or Ni(2+) retards the cleaving activity of all the cleaving agents tested.

Hydrolytic Reactions of Guanosyl-(3‘,3‘)-uridine and Guanosyl-(3‘,3‘)-(2‘,5‘-di-O-methyluridine)

Hydrolytic reactions of guanosyl-(3',3')-uridine and guanosyl-(3',3')-(2',5'-di-O-methyluridine) have been followed by RP HPLC over a wide pH range at 363.2 K in order to elucidate the role of the 2'-hydroxyl group as a hydrogen-bond donor upon departure of the 3'-uridine moiety. Under neutral and basic conditions, guanosyl-(3',3')-uridine undergoes hydroxide ion-catalyzed cleavage (first order in [OH(-)]) of the P-O3' bonds, giving uridine and guanosine 2',3'-cyclic monophosphates, which are subsequently hydrolyzed to a mixture of 2'- and 3'-monophosphates. This bond rupture is 23 times as fast as the corresponding cleavage of the P-O3' bond of guanosyl-(3',3')-(2',5'-di-O-methyluridine) to yield 2',5'-O-dimethyluridine and guanosine 2',3'-cyclic phosphate. Under acidic conditions, where the reactivity differences are smaller, depurination and isomerization compete with the cleavage. The effect of Zn(2+) on the cleavage of the P-O3' bonds of guanosyl-(3',3')-uridine is modest: about 6-fold acceleration was observed at [Zn(2+)] = 5 mmol L(-)(1) and pH 5.6. With guanosyl-(3',3')-(2',5'-di-O-methyluridine) the rate-acceleration effect is greater: a 37-fold acceleration was observed. The mechanisms of the partial reactions, in particular the effects of the 2'-hydroxyl group on the departure of the 3'-linked nucleoside, are discussed.

Preparation of azacrown-functionalized 2'-O-methyl oligoribonucleotides, potential artificial RNases

An improved synthesis for 3-(3-aminopropyl)- and 3-(3-mercaptopropyl)-1,5,9-triazacyclododecane has been developed and alternative methods for their conjugation to oligonucleotides have been described. Accordingly, the 3-aminopropyl azacrown and its N-(3-aminopropanoyl)-3-aminopropyl analogue have been tethered to the 3'-terminus of a 2'-O-methyloligoribonucleotide by aminolytic cleavage of the thioester linker utilized for the chain assembly. Studies on a monomeric model compound verify that the reaction proceeds solely by the attack of the primary amino group. 5'-Conjugation has been achieved by introducing a 2-benzylthio-2-oxoethyl group to the 5'-terminus as a phosphoramidite reagent and cleaving the thioester bond with the 3-aminopropyl azacrown. For intrachain conjugation, a phosphoramidite reagent derived from 1-deoxy-1-(2-benzylthio-2-oxoethyl)-beta-d-erythro-pentofuranose has been inserted in a desired position within the chain and subjected to on-support aminolysis with the 3-aminopropyl azacrown or its N-(3-aminopropanoyl)-3-aminopropyl and N-(6-aminohexanoyl)-3-aminopropyl analogues. The 3-mercaptopropyl-derivatized azacrown has been tetherd by a disulfide bond to a 3'-(3-mercaptoalkyl)phosphate-tailed oligonucleotide. The 3'- and intrachain-tethered conjugates have been shown to cleave as their Zn(II) chelate complementary oligoribonucleotide sequences.

Dinuclear Zn2+ complexes in the hydrolysis of the phosphodiester linkage in a diribonucleoside monophosphate diester

Dizinc complexes that were formed from 2:1 mixtures of Zn(NO3)2 and dinucleating ligands TPHP (1), TPmX (2) or TPpX (3) in aqueous solutions efficiently hydrolyzed diribonucleoside monophosphate diesters (NpN) under mild conditions. The dinucleating ligand affected the structure of the aquo-hydroxo-dizinc core, resulting in different characteristics in the catalytic activities towards NpN cleavage. The pH-rate profile of ApA cleavage in the presence of (Zn2+)(2)-1 was sigmoidal, whereas those of (Zn2+)(2)-2 and (Zn2+)(2)-3 were bell-shaped. The pH titration study indicated that (Zn2+)(2)-1 dissociates only one aquo proton (up to pH 12), whereas (Zn2+)(2)-2 dissociates three aquo protons (up to pH 10.7). The observed differences in the pH-rate profile are attributable to the various distributions of the monohydroxo-dizinc species, which are responsible for NpN cleavage. As compared to that using (Zn2+)(2)-1, the NpN cleavage using (Zn2+)(2)-2 showed a greater rate constant, with a higher product ratio of 3'-NMP/2'-NMP. The saturation behaviors of the rate, with regard to the concentration of NpN, were analyzed by Michaelis-Menten type kinetics. Although the binding of (Zn2+)(2)-2 to ApA was weaker than that of (Zn2+)(2)-1, (Zn2+)(2)-2 showed a greater kcat value than (Zn2+)(2)-1, resulting in higher ApA cleavage activity of the former.

Trinuclear copper(II) complex showing high selectivity for the hydrolysis of 2'-5' over 3'-5' for UpU and 3'-5' over 2'-5' for ApA ribonucleotides

The cooperative action of multiple Cu(II) nuclear centers is shown to be effective and selective in the hydrolysis of 2'-5' and 3'-5' ribonucleotides. Reported herein is the specific catalysis by two trinuclear Cu(II) complexes of L3A and L3B. Pseudo first-order kinetic studies reveal that the L3A trinuclear Cu(II) complex effects hydrolysis of Up(2'-5')U with a rate constant of 28 x 10(-)(4) min(-)(1) and Up(3'-5')U with a rate constant of 0.5 x 10(-)(4) min(-)(1). The hydrolyses of Ap(3'-5')A and Ap(2'-5')A proceed with rate constants of 24 x 10(-)(4) min(-)(1) and 0.5 x 10(-)(4) min(-)(1) respectively. The L3A trinuclear Cu(II) complex demonstrates high specificity for Up(2'-5')U and Ap(3'-5')A. Similar studies with the more rigid L3B trinuclear Cu(II) complex shows no selectivity and yields lower rate constants for hydrolysis. The selectivity observed with the L3A ligand is attributed to the geometry of the ligand-bound diribonucleotide which ultimately dictates the proximity of the attacking hydroxyl and the phosphoester to a Cu(II) center for activation and subsequent hydrolysis.

Metal ion-dependent hydrolysis of RNA phosphodiester bonds within hairpin loops. A comparative kinetic study on chimeric ribo/2'-O-methylribo oligonucleotides

Several chimeric ribo/2'- O -methylribo oligonucleotides were synthesized and their hydrolytic cleavage studied in the presence of Mg2+, Zn2+, Pb2+and the 1,4,9-triaza-cyclododecane chelate of Zn2+(Zn2+[12]aneN3) to evaluate the importance of RNA secondary structure as a factor determining the reactivity of phosphodiester bonds. In all the cases studied, a phosphodiester bond within a 4-7 nt loop was hydrolytically more stable than a similar bond within a linear single strand, but markedly less stable than that in a double helix. With Zn2+and Zn2+[12]aneN3, the hydrolytic stability of a phosphodiester bond within a hairpin loop gradually decreased on increasing the distance from the stem. A similar but less systematic trend was observed with Pb2+. Zn2+- and Pb2+-promoted cleavage was observed to be considerably more sensitive to the secondary structure of the chain than that induced by Zn2+[12]aneN3. This difference in behaviour may be attributed to bidentate binding of uncomplexed aquo ions to two different phosphodiester bonds. Mg2+was observed to be catalytically virtually inactive compared with the other cleaving agents studied.

Kinetics and Mechanism of Facile and Selective Dephosphorylation of 2'-Phosphorylated and 2'-Thiophosphorylated Dinucleotides: Neighboring 3'-5' Phosphodiester Promotes 2'-Dephosphorylation

2'-Phosphorylated and 2'-thiophosphorylated dinucleotides U(2'-p)pU (1) and U(2'-ps)pU (2) were found to undergo facile 2'-specific dephosphorylation at 90 degrees C in neutral aqueous solution to give UpU, and the first-order rate constants of these reactions were determined by HPLC. Particularly, U(2'-ps)pU (2, k = 1.38 +/- 0.4 x 10(-)(3) s(-)(1), t(comp) = 1 h) was cleanly dephosphorylated ca. 100 times more rapidly than U(2'-p)pU (1, k = 1.41 +/- 0.05 x 10(-)(5) s(-)(1), t(comp) = 72 h). Dephosphorylations of 1 and 2 were faster than those of thymidine 3'-phosphate (8) and thymidine 3'-thiophosphate (9), respectively. The kinetic data observed were independent of the 2'- or 3'-position of the phosphate group and the kind of base moiety. The neighboring 3'-5' phosphodiester function most probably promotes the 2'-dephosphorylation efficiently. A branched trimer, U(2'-pU)pU (3), and related compounds having a substituent on the 2'-phosphoryl group, such as U(2'-pp-biotin)pU (4) and U(2'-ps-bimane)pU (5), were rather resistant to hydrolysis. The addition of divalent metal ions (Mg(2+), Mn(2+), Zn(2+), Ca(2+), Co(2+), and Cd(2+)) remarkably decreased the rate of 2'-de(thio)phosphorylation of 1 or 2. Among these metal ions, Zn(2+) most significantly inhibited the dephosphorylation. On the contrary, trivalent metal ions considerably accelerated the 2'-de(thio)phosphorylation of 1 or 2. The mechanism of 2'-dephosphorylation in the presence and absence of various metal ions is also discussed.

Efficient sequence-specific cleavage of RNA using novel europium complexes conjugated to oligonucleotides

BACKGROUND

A general method allowing the selective destruction of targeted mRNA molecules in vivo would have broad application in biology and medicine. Metal complexes are among the best synthetic catalysts for the cleavage of RNA, and covalent attachment of suitable metal complexes to oligonucleotides allows the cleavage of complementary single-stranded RNAs in a sequence-specific manner.

RESULTS

Using novel europium complexes covalently linked to an oligodeoxyribonucleotide, we have achieved the sequence-specific cleavage of a complementary synthetic RNA. The complexes are completely resistant to chemical degradation under the experimental conditions. The cleavage efficiency of the conjugate strongly depends on the nature of the linker between the oligonucleotide and the complex. Almost complete cleavage of the RNA target has been achieved within 16 h at 37 degrees C.

CONCLUSIONS

The results will be important for improving the efficacy of antisense oligonucleotides and will provide a basis for the design of synthetic RNA restriction enzymes. Conjugates of the kind described here may also find application as chemical probes for structural and functional studies of RNA.