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Liczner C, Duke K, Juneau G, Egli M, Wilds CJ. Beyond ribose and phosphate: Selected nucleic acid modifications for structure-function investigations and therapeutic applications. Beilstein J Org Chem 2021; 17:908-931. [PMID: 33981365 PMCID: PMC8093555 DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.17.76] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past 25 years, the acceleration of achievements in the development of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics has resulted in numerous new drugs making it to the market for the treatment of various diseases. Oligonucleotides with alterations to their scaffold, prepared with modified nucleosides and solid-phase synthesis, have yielded molecules with interesting biophysical properties that bind to their targets and are tolerated by the cellular machinery to elicit a therapeutic outcome. Structural techniques, such as crystallography, have provided insights to rationalize numerous properties including binding affinity, nuclease stability, and trends observed in the gene silencing. In this review, we discuss the chemistry, biophysical, and structural properties of a number of chemically modified oligonucleotides that have been explored for gene silencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Liczner
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Kieran Duke
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Gabrielle Juneau
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Martin Egli
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, and Center for Structural Biology, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Christopher J Wilds
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec H4B 1R6, Canada
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Wickstrom E. DNA and RNA derivatives to optimize distribution and delivery. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2015; 87:25-34. [PMID: 25912659 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2015.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2014] [Revised: 04/13/2015] [Accepted: 04/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic, complementary DNA single strands and short interfering RNA double strands have been found to inhibit the expression of animal, plant, and viral genes in cells, animals, and patients, in a dose dependent and sequence specific manner. DNAs and RNAs, however, are readily digested in biological systems. Hence, chemists are obliged to design and synthesize nuclease-resistant analogs of normal DNA (Fig. 1).
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Kovaliov M, Wachtel C, Yavin E, Fischer B. Synthesis and evaluation of a photoresponsive quencher for fluorescent hybridization probes. Org Biomol Chem 2014; 12:7844-58. [PMID: 25177827 DOI: 10.1039/c4ob01185f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Nowadays, most nucleic acid detections using fluorescent probes rely on quenching of fluorescence by energy transfer from one fluorophore to another or to a non-fluorescent molecule (quencher). The most widely used quencher in fluorescent probes is 4-((4-(dimethylamino)phenyl)azo)benzoic acid (DABCYL). We targeted a nucleoside-DABCYL analogue which could be incorporated anywhere in an oligonucleotide sequence and in any number, and used as a quencher in different hybridization sensitive probes. Specifically, we introduced a 5-(4-((dimethylamino)phenyl)azo)benzene)-2'-deoxy-uridine (dU(DAB)) quencher. The photoisomerization and dU(DAB)'s ability to quench fluorescein emission have been investigated. We incorporated dU(DAB) into a series of oligonucleotide (ON) probes including strand displacement probes, labeled with both fluorescein (FAM) and dU(DAB), and TaqMan probes bearing one or two dU(DAB) and a FAM fluorophore. We used these probes for the detection of a DNA target in real-time PCR (RT-PCR). All probes showed amplification of targeted DNA. A dU(DAB) modified TaqMan RT-PCR probe was more efficient as compared to a DABCYL bearing probe (93% vs. 87%, respectively). Furthermore, dU(DAB) had a stabilizing effect on the duplex, causing an increase in Tm up to 11 °C. In addition we showed the photoisomerisation of the azobenzene moiety of dU(DAB) and the dU(DAB) triply-labeled oligonucleotide upon irradiation. These findings suggest that dU(DAB) modified probes are promising probes for gene quantification in real-time PCR detection and as photoswitchable devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Kovaliov
- Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel.
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Zilbershtein-Shklanovsky L, Kafri P, Shav-Tal Y, Yavin E, Fischer B. Development of fluorescent double-strand probes labeled with 8-(p-CF3-cinnamyl)-adenosine for the detection of cyclin D1 breast cancer marker. Eur J Med Chem 2014; 79:77-88. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2014.03.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2014] [Revised: 03/24/2014] [Accepted: 03/29/2014] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Peacey E, Rodriguez L, Liu Y, Wolfe MS. Targeting a pre-mRNA structure with bipartite antisense molecules modulates tau alternative splicing. Nucleic Acids Res 2012; 40:9836-49. [PMID: 22844088 PMCID: PMC3479178 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gks710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Approximately 15% of human genetic diseases are estimated to involve dysregulation of alternative pre-mRNA splicing. Antisense molecules designed to alter these and other splicing events typically target continuous linear sequences of the message. Here, we show that a structural feature in a pre-mRNA can be targeted by bipartite antisense molecules designed to hybridize with the discontinuous elements that flank the structure and thereby alter splicing. We targeted a hairpin structure at the boundary between exon 10 and intron 10 of the pre-mRNA of tau. Mutations in this region that are associated with certain forms of frontotemporal dementia, destabilize the hairpin to cause increased inclusion of exon 10. Via electrophoretic mobility shift and RNase protection assays, we demonstrate that bipartite antisense molecules designed to simultaneously interact with the available sequences that immediately flank the tau pre-mRNA hairpin do indeed bind to this structured region. Moreover, these agents inhibit exon 10 splicing and reverse the effect of destabilizing disease-causing mutations, in both in vitro splicing assays and cell culture. This general bipartite antisense strategy could be employed to modulate other splicing events that are regulated by RNA secondary structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor Peacey
- Center for Neurologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, HIM 754, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Liboska R, Snášel J, Barvík I, Buděšínský M, Pohl R, Točík Z, Páv O, Rejman D, Novák P, Rosenberg I. 4'-Alkoxy oligodeoxynucleotides: a novel class of RNA mimics. Org Biomol Chem 2011; 9:8261-7. [PMID: 22051918 DOI: 10.1039/c1ob06148h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
4'-Alkoxy-oligothymidylates were prepared as model compounds to study the influence of a C4'-alkoxy group on hybridisation. The phosphodiester homooligomers (15 units long) containing either a 4'-methoxy or 4'-(2-methoxyethoxy) group were found to display increased hybridisation with both dA(15) and rA(15) complementary counterparts compared to the natural oligothymidylate. In addition, we found their hybridisation behaviour to be similar to that of the regioisomeric 2'-O-methyl-oligothymidylate. The formed complexes (duplexes and triplexes) were studied using UV spectroscopy and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Structural background of the hybridization behaviour was examined using NMR and MDS. The favourable hybridisation properties of the 4'-alkoxyoligothymidylates indicated that 4'-alkoxy modified nucleotides are promising compounds for the assembly of chimeric oligonucleotides with tunable properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radek Liboska
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v. v. i., Flemingovo 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic
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Kirk Field A, Goodchild J. Section Review: Biologicals & Immunologicals: Antisense oligonucleotides: Rational drug design for genetic pharmacology. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2008. [DOI: 10.1517/13543784.4.9.799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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Fuchs RT, Grundy FJ, Henkin TM. S-adenosylmethionine directly inhibits binding of 30S ribosomal subunits to the SMK box translational riboswitch RNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007; 104:4876-80. [PMID: 17360376 PMCID: PMC1829232 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0609956104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The S(MK) box is a conserved riboswitch motif found in the 5' untranslated region of metK genes [encoding S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) synthetase] in lactic acid bacteria, including Enterococcus, Streptococcus, and Lactococcus sp. Previous studies showed that this RNA element binds SAM in vitro, and SAM binding causes a structural rearrangement that sequesters the Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence by pairing with an anti-SD (ASD) element. A model was proposed in which SAM binding inhibits metK translation by preventing binding of the ribosome to the SD region of the mRNA. In the current work, the addition of SAM was shown to inhibit binding of 30S ribosomal subunits to S(MK) box RNA; in contrast, the addition of S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) had no effect. A mutant RNA, which has a disrupted SD-ASD pairing, was defective in SAM binding and showed no reduction of ribosome binding in the presence of SAM, whereas a compensatory mutation that restored SD-ASD pairing restored the response to SAM. Primer extension inhibition assays provided further evidence for SD-ASD pairing in the presence of SAM. These results strongly support the model that S(MK) box translational repression operates through occlusion of the ribosome binding site and that SAM binding requires the SD-ASD pairing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tina M. Henkin
- *Department of Microbiology and
- RNA Group, Ohio State University, 484 West 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
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Abstract
The oxazine dye (Oxazine 170) was found to induce formation of a hybrid triplex structure, poly rA:(poly dT)(2), under solution conditions in which the triplex would not otherwise form. Formation of the hybrid triplex is driven by the structural selective binding of oxazine 170 to poly rA:(poly dT)(2). Oxazine 170 serves as a lead compound for the design of new compounds that can modulate triplex formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangtao Song
- Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Chemistry and Physics, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China
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11
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Aupeix-Scheidler K, Chabas S, Bidou L, Rousset JP, Leng M, Toulmé JJ. Inhibition of in vitro and ex vivo translation by a transplatin-modified oligo(2'-O-methylribonucleotide) directed against the HIV-1 gag-pol frameshift signal. Nucleic Acids Res 2000; 28:438-45. [PMID: 10606641 PMCID: PMC102513 DOI: 10.1093/nar/28.2.438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/1999] [Revised: 11/15/1999] [Accepted: 11/15/1999] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A 2'-O-methylribooligonucleotide containing a G1.U.G3 triad modified by trans-diamminedichloro-platinum(II) was targeted to the RNA region responsible for the gag-pol frameshifting during translation of the HIV-1 mRNA. The binding of the platinated oligonucleotide to its target RNA induced a rearrangement of the (G1, G3)-intrastrand crosslink, leading to the formation of an intermolecular oligonucleotide-RNA G-A crosslink. This resulted in the selective arrest of translation of a luciferase gene placed downstream of the HIV-1 frameshift signal both in a cell-free extract (rabbit reticulocyte lysate) and in RNA-transfected cells. A specific inhibition of luciferase activity was still observed when the oligonucleotide-RNA complex was not pre-formed prior to either translation or transfection. Moreover, a selective inhibition was also observed when the oligonucleotide and the plasmid DNA encoding the luciferase and bearing the RNA gag- pol frameshifting signal were co-transfected in NIH 3T3 cultured cells. Therefore the intra-strand-->interstrand conversion of the platinum crosslink kinetically competes with the translation machinery and blocks the polypeptide elongation. These transplatin-modified oligonucleotides which operate within a live cell on a 'real-time' basis and do not need an external triggering signal constitute a promising new class of selective reactive probes.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Aupeix-Scheidler
- INSERM U.386, IFR Pathologies Infectieuses, Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, 146 Rue Léo Saignat, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex, France
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12
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Le Tinévez R, Mishra RK, Toulmé JJ. Selective inhibition of cell-free translation by oligonucleotides targeted to a mRNA hairpin structure. Nucleic Acids Res 1998; 26:2273-8. [PMID: 9580674 PMCID: PMC147550 DOI: 10.1093/nar/26.10.2273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Using an in vitro selection approach we have previously isolated oligodeoxy aptamers that can bind to a DNA hairpin structure without disrupting the double-stranded stem. We report here that these oligomers can bind to the RNA version of this hairpin, mostly through pairing with a designed 6 nt anchor. The part of the aptamer selected against the DNA hairpin did not increase stability of the RNA-aptamer complex. However, it contributed to the binding site for Escherichia coli RNase H, leading to very efficient cleavage of the target RNA. In addition, a 2'- O -methyloligoribonucleotide analogue of one selected sequence selectively blocked in vitro translation of luciferase in wheat germ extract by binding to the hairpin region inserted upstream of the initiation codon of the reporter gene. Therefore, non-complementary oligomers can exhibit antisense properties following hybridization with the target RNA. Our study also suggests that in vitro selection might provide a means to extend the repertoire of sequences that can be targetted by antisense oligonucleotides to structured RNA motifs of biological importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Le Tinévez
- INSERM U 386, IFR Pathologies Infectieuses, Université Victor Segalen, 146 rue Léo Saignat, 33076 Bordeaux cédex, France
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Lesnik EA, Freier SM. What affects the effect of 2'-alkoxy modifications? 1. Stabilization effect of 2'-methoxy substitutions in uniformly modified DNA oligonucleotides. Biochemistry 1998; 37:6991-7. [PMID: 9578586 DOI: 10.1021/bi972995c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The thermostability of hybrid duplexes with uniformly 2'-methoxy modified DNA strands (D'R and RD'), their unmodified DNA:RNA counterparts (DR and RD), and corresponded RNA:RNA (RR) duplexes for six sequences with different GC and deoxypyrimidine (dPy) content was measured. The linear correlation between the total stabilization effect of 2'-methoxy modifications (Delta DeltaG(o)37(D'R-DR)) and the relative stability of corresponding unmodified hybrids compared to the RR counterparts (Delta DeltaG(o)37(RR-DR)) suggests that the initial conformational and the thermodynamic state of the "parent" unmodified hybrid governs the effect of 2'-methoxy (and may be other 2'-alkoxy) modifications whose mechanism of action includes an S --> N conformational shift resulting in an RNA-like A-form duplex. We also found a correlation between the "hydrophobic" part of the total effect (Delta DeltaG(o)37(D'R-RR)) and the dA fraction in the modified DNA strand, suggesting that the "hydrophobic" effect of the 2'-methoxy groups results mainly from intraresidue steric effects increasing rigidity of the modified sugar rings. The correlations observed enabled us to predict the stability of hybrids with 2'-methoxy modified DNA strands for any sequence except for sequences with (dU)10 and (dA)10 strings.
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Affiliation(s)
- E A Lesnik
- Department of Structural Biology, ISIS Pharmaceuticals, Carlsbad, California 92008, USA
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Boudvillain M, Guérin M, Dalbiès R, Saison-Behmoaras T, Leng M. Transplatin-modified oligo(2'-O-methyl ribonucleotide)s: a new tool for selective modulation of gene expression. Biochemistry 1997; 36:2925-31. [PMID: 9062122 DOI: 10.1021/bi962695f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
In the reaction between trans-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) and single-stranded oligo(2'-O-methyl ribonucleotide)s containing the sequence GNG (N being a nucleotide residue), the 1,3-trans-{Pt-(NH3)2[GNG]} cross-links are formed. The 1,3-intrastrand cross-links are inert within the single-stranded oligonucleotides. By contrast, they rearrange into interstrand cross-links when the platinated oligonucleotides are paired with their complementary RNA strands. The rate of the interstrand cross-linking reaction depends upon the sequence facing the intrastrand cross-links. When the complementary sequences are 5'-CN'C (N' being a nucleotide), the rates are rather slow (T1/2 >/= 3 h at 37 degrees C). The rearrangement of the intrastrand cross-links into interstrand cross-links can be achieved in a few minutes when the triplets facing the intrastrand cross-links are replaced by doublet 5'-UA or 5'-CA. In vitro, the specificity of the cross-linking reaction between a platinated oligo(2'-O-methyl ribonucleotide) and its target sequence (containing the 5'-CA doublet) located within the coding region of Ha-ras mRNA is demonstrated by steric blocking of reverse transcriptase and translation machinery. Within the HBL100ras1 cells, this platinated oligonucleotide binds specifically and irreversibly to the cognate Ha-ras mRNA. It also inhibits the proliferation of the HBL100ras1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The fast and specific interstrand cross-linking reaction triggered by the formation of a double helix between platinated oligo(2'-O-methyl ribonucleotide)s and RNA enhances the potential of the oligonucleotides which do not induce mRNA cleavage by RNase H, to modulate gene expression by steric blocking of the translation machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Boudvillain
- Centre de Biophysique Moleculaire, CNRS, Orleans, France
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Abstract
A 2'-O-methyl oligonucleotide complementary to 18 nucleotides in the dihydrouridine stemloop of Escherichia coli tRNA(Cys) has been shown to stably bind to the tRNA. The binding inhibits aminoacylation of the tRNA by cysteine tRNA synthetase. The same oligonucleotide sequence but with the DNA deoxy backbone does not bind to the tRNA. This provides the basis for the design and test of a series of 2'-O-methyl oligonucleotides for their ability to bind to E. coli tRNA(Cys) and inhibit aminoacylation. We show here that different regions of the tRNA have different sensitivities to oligonucleotides. A 10-mer that targets G15 forms a stable complex with the tRNA. The Kd of the complex is several orders of magnitude lower than that of the tRNA-synthetase complex. Measurements of dissociation rate constants indicate that the stronger affinity of the 10-mer to tRNA(Cys) is due to a significantly slower rate of dissociation (by a factor of 10(6)) than that of the synthetase from the tRNA. Only a stoichiometric amount of the 10-mer is necessary to completely inhibit aminoacylation. Because tRNA aminoacylation is fundamental to cell growth, these results provide the rationale for the 10-mer and its derivatives as pharmaceutical agents that target specific cell growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y M Hou
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA.
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Abstract
Antisense oligonucleotides represent a novel class of potential drugs for highly selective blocking of genes. The basic concept of antisense strategy is simple: an antisense molecule recognizes a complementary mRNA (or DNA) by sequence-specific base pairing, and hence prevents translation (or transcription), resulting in a selective inhibition of protein synthesis. Because of these properties, antisense oligonucleotides have great potential as therapeutic agents in several human diseases, such as viral diseases, malignancies and dominant hereditary diseases. However, technical difficulties have slowed down their use as drugs: structural modifications are needed to increase the stability and potency of synthetic oligonucleotides, specific delivery systems are required to facilitate their entry into target cells, and more information is needed to their mechanism of action. Much of the current research on antisense oligonucleotides takes place at the interface of chemistry and biomedical sciences, a multidisciplinary field where finding a common language is sometimes difficult. The aim of this review is to present an overview of the antisense strategy in terms which should be understandable for chemists, biologists and physicians.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Lönnberg
- Department of Chemistry Turku University, Finland
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Bashkin JK, Xie J, Daniher AT, Sampath U, Kao JLF. Building Blocks for Ribozyme Mimics: Conjugates of Terpyridine and Bipyridine with Nucleosides. J Org Chem 1996. [DOI: 10.1021/jo9518213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James K. Bashkin
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899
| | - Jin Xie
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899
| | - Andrew T. Daniher
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899
| | - UmaShanker Sampath
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899
| | - Jeffrey L.-F. Kao
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899
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Boiziau C, Tarrago-Litvak L, Sinha ND, Moreau S, Litvak S, Toulmé JJ. Antisense oligonucleotides inhibit in vitro cDNA synthesis by HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. ANTISENSE & NUCLEIC ACID DRUG DEVELOPMENT 1996; 6:103-9. [PMID: 8843324 DOI: 10.1089/oli.1.1996.6.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The inhibition of reverse transcription by various chemically modified antisense oligonucleotides was studied in a cell-free system, composed of an RNA template, a primer oligodeoxynucleotide, and the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT). Different mechanisms of inhibition were observed depending on the chemical structure of the antisense molecule. (1) The hybridization of 2'-O-allyl oligonucleotide to the RNA template promotes a physical arrest of the polymerase. (2) The antisense effect of phosphodiester or phosphorothioate oligonucleotides is essentially due to the RNase H-mediated cleavage of the RNA. (3) A third mechanism was observed with phosphorothioate oligonucleotides that directly interact with the enzyme. Chimeric oligonucleotides, composed of an unmodified region flanked by 2'-O-methyl groups, led to less efficient inhibition than the parent unmodified oligomer, although the inhibitory mechanism was the same. No inhibitory effect was detected when alpha or methylphosphonate oligomers were used.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Boiziau
- INSERM U386, Université Bordeaux II, France
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19
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Abstract
The presence of folded regions in RNA competes with the binding of a complementary oligonucleotide, resulting in a weak antisense effect. Due to the key role played by a number of RNA structures in the natural regulation of gene expression it might be of interest to design antisense sequences able to selectively interact with such motifs in order to interfere with the biological processes they mediate. Different possibilities have been explored. A high affinity oligomer will disrupt the structure; if the target structure is solved one can take advantage of unpaired bases (bulges, loops) to minimize the thermodynamic cost of the binding. Alternatively, the folded structure can be accommodated within the complex via the formation of a local triple helix. Oligomers able to adapt to the RNA structure (aptamers) can be extracted by in vitro selection from randomly synthesized libraries comprising several billions of sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- J J Toulmé
- INSERM U386, IFR Pathologies Infectieuses, Université Victor Segalen, Bordeaux II, France
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