1
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Blitek M, Phongsavanh X, Goyenvalle A. The bench to bedside journey of tricyclo-DNA antisense oligonucleotides for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. RSC Med Chem 2024; 15:3017-3025. [PMID: 39309360 PMCID: PMC11411614 DOI: 10.1039/d4md00394b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The development of antisense oligonucleotide (ASO)-based therapeutics has made tremendous progress over the past few years, in particular for the treatment of neuromuscular disorders such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy. Several ASO drugs have now reached market approval for these diseases and many more are currently under clinical evaluation. Among them, ASOs made of the tricyclo-DNA originally developed by Christian Leumann have shown particularly interesting properties and demonstrated promise for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. In this review, we examine the bench to bedside journey of tricyclo-DNA-ASOs from their early preclinical evaluation as fully phosphorotiated-ASOs to the latest generation of lipid-conjugated-ASOs. Finally we discuss the remaining challenges of ASO-mediated exon-skipping therapy for DMD and future perspectives for this promising chemistry of ASOs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Blitek
- UVSQ, Inserm, END-ICAP, Université Paris-Saclay 78000 Versailles France +33 170429432
| | | | - Aurélie Goyenvalle
- UVSQ, Inserm, END-ICAP, Université Paris-Saclay 78000 Versailles France +33 170429432
- LIA BAHN, CSM-UVSQ Monaco Principality of Monaco
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2
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Le BT, Chen S, Veedu RN. Evaluation of Chemically Modified Nucleic Acid Analogues for Splice Switching Application. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:48650-48661. [PMID: 38162739 PMCID: PMC10753547 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c07618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
In recent years, several splice switching antisense oligonucleotide (ASO)-based therapeutics have gained significant interest, and several candidates received approval for clinical use for treating rare diseases, in particular, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy. These ASOs are fully modified; in other words, they are composed of chemically modified nucleic acid analogues instead of natural RNA oligomers. This has significantly improved drug-like properties of these ASOs in terms of efficacy, stability, pharmacokinetics, and safety. Although chemical modifications of oligonucleotides have been discussed previously for numerous applications including nucleic acid aptamers, small interfering RNA, DNAzyme, and ASO, to the best of our knowledge, none of them have solely focused on the analogues that have been utilized for splice switching applications. To this end, we present here a comprehensive review of different modified nucleic acid analogues that have been explored for developing splice switching ASOs. In addition to the antisense chemistry, we also endeavor to provide a brief historical overview of the approved spice switching ASO drugs, including a list of drugs that have entered human clinical trials. We hope this work will inspire further investigations into expanding the potential of novel nucleic acid analogues for constructing splice switching ASOs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bao T. Le
- Centre
for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Health Futures
Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia
- Precision
Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, Perron Institute
for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia
- ProGenis
Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd., Bentley, Western Australia 6102, Australia
| | - Suxiang Chen
- Centre
for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Health Futures
Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia
- Precision
Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, Perron Institute
for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Rakesh N. Veedu
- Centre
for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Health Futures
Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia
- Precision
Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, Perron Institute
for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia
- ProGenis
Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd., Bentley, Western Australia 6102, Australia
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3
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Doxakis E. Therapeutic antisense oligonucleotides for movement disorders. Med Res Rev 2020; 41:2656-2688. [PMID: 32656818 DOI: 10.1002/med.21706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Movement disorders are a group of neurological conditions characterized by abnormalities of movement and posture. They are broadly divided into akinetic and hyperkinetic syndromes. Until now, no effective symptomatic or disease-modifying therapies have been available. However, since many of these disorders are monogenic or have some well-defined genetic component, they represent strong candidates for antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapies. ASO therapies are based on the use of short synthetic single-stranded ASOs that bind to disease-related target RNAs via Watson-Crick base-pairing and pleiotropically modulate their function. With information arising from the RNA sequence alone, it is possible to design ASOs that not only alter the expression levels but also the splicing defects of any protein, far exceeding the intervention repertoire of traditional small molecule approaches. Following the regulatory approval of ASO therapies for spinal muscular atrophy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy in 2016, there has been tremendous momentum in testing such therapies for other neurological disorders. This review article initially focuses on the chemical modifications aimed at improving ASO effectiveness, the mechanisms by which ASOs can interfere with RNA function, delivery systems and pharmacokinetics, and the common set of toxicities associated with their application. It, then, describes the pathophysiology and the latest information on preclinical and clinical trials utilizing ASOs for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and ataxias 1, 2, 3, and 7. It concludes with issues that require special attention to realize the full potential of ASO-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Epaminondas Doxakis
- Center of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
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4
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Catani M, De Luca C, Medeiros Garcia Alcântara J, Manfredini N, Perrone D, Marchesi E, Weldon R, Müller-Späth T, Cavazzini A, Morbidelli M, Sponchioni M. Oligonucleotides: Current Trends and Innovative Applications in the Synthesis, Characterization, and Purification. Biotechnol J 2020; 15:e1900226. [PMID: 32298041 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201900226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Oligonucleotides (ONs) are gaining increasing importance as a promising novel class of biopharmaceuticals. Thanks to their fundamental role in gene regulation, they can be used to develop custom-made drugs (also called N-to-1) able to act on the gene expression at pre-translational level. With recent approvals of ON-based therapeutics by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a growing demand for high-quality chemically modified ONs is emerging and their market is expected to impressively prosper in the near future. To satisfy this growing market demand, a scalable and economically sustainable ON production is needed. In this paper, the state of the art of the whole ON production process is illustrated with the aim of highlighting the most promising routes toward the auspicated market-size production. In particular, the most recent advancements in both the upstream stage, mainly based on solid-phase synthesis and recombinant technology, and the downstream one, focusing on chromatographic techniques, are reviewed. Since ON production is projected to expand to the large scale, automatized multicolumn countercurrent technologies will reasonably be required soon to replace the current ones based on batch single-column operations. This consideration is supported by a recent cutting-edge application of continuous chromatography for the ON purification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Catani
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ferrara, via L. Borsari 46, Ferrara, 44121, Italy
| | - Chiara De Luca
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ferrara, via L. Borsari 46, Ferrara, 44121, Italy
| | - João Medeiros Garcia Alcântara
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta,", Politecnico di Milano, via Mancinelli 7, Milano, 20131, Italy
| | - Nicolò Manfredini
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta,", Politecnico di Milano, via Mancinelli 7, Milano, 20131, Italy
| | - Daniela Perrone
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ferrara, via L. Borsari 46, Ferrara, 44121, Italy
| | - Elena Marchesi
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ferrara, via L. Borsari 46, Ferrara, 44121, Italy
| | - Richard Weldon
- ChromaCon AG, Technoparkstrasse 1, Zürich, 8005, Switzerland
| | | | - Alberto Cavazzini
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ferrara, via L. Borsari 46, Ferrara, 44121, Italy
| | - Massimo Morbidelli
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta,", Politecnico di Milano, via Mancinelli 7, Milano, 20131, Italy
| | - Mattia Sponchioni
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta,", Politecnico di Milano, via Mancinelli 7, Milano, 20131, Italy
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5
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Shimo T, Tachibana K, Obika S. Construction of a tri-chromatic reporter cell line for the rapid and simple screening of splice-switching oligonucleotides targeting DMD exon 51 using high content screening. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197373. [PMID: 29768479 PMCID: PMC5955590 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Splice-switching oligonucleotides (SSOs) that can modulate RNA splicing are used for the treatment of many genetic disorders. To enhance the efficacy of modulating splicing, it is important to optimize SSOs with regard to target sites, GC content, melting temperature (Tm value), chemistries, and lengths. Thus, in vitro assay systems that allow for the rapid and simple screening of SSOs are essential for optimizing SSO design. In this study, we established a novel tri-chromatic reporter cell line for SSO screening. This reporter cell line is designed to express three different fluorescent proteins (blue, green, and red) and was employed for high content screening (HCS, also known as high content analysis; HCA) for the evaluation of SSO-induced exon skipping by analyzing the expression levels of fluorescent proteins. The blue fluorescent protein is stably expressed throughout the cell and is useful for data normalization using cell numbers. Furthermore, both the green and red fluorescent proteins were used for monitoring the splicing patterns of target genes. Indeed, we demonstrated that this novel reporter cell line involving HCS leads to a more rapid and simple approach for the evaluation of exon skipping than widely used methods, such as RT-PCR, western blotting, and quantitative RT-PCR. Additionally, a brief screening of Locked nucleic acids (LNA)-based SSOs targeting exon 51 in DMD was performed using the reporter cell line. The LNA-based SSO cocktail shows high exon 51 skipping in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the LNA-based SSO cocktails display high exon 51 skipping activities on endogenous DMD mRNA in human rhabdomyosarcoma cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takenori Shimo
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Keisuke Tachibana
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Satoshi Obika
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
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6
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Goyenvalle A, Leumann C, Garcia L. Therapeutic Potential of Tricyclo-DNA antisense oligonucleotides. J Neuromuscul Dis 2018; 3:157-167. [PMID: 27854216 PMCID: PMC5271482 DOI: 10.3233/jnd-160146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Oligonucleotide therapeutics hold great promise for the treatment of various diseases and the antisense field is constantly gaining interest due to the development of more potent and nuclease resistant chemistries. Despite a rather low success rate with only three antisense drugs being clinically approved, the frontiers of AON therapeutic applications have increased over the past three decades and continue to expand thanks to a steady increase in understanding the mechanisms of action of these molecules, progress in chemical modification and delivery. In this review, we will examine the recent advances obtained with the tricyclo-DNA chemistry which displays unique pharmacological properties and unprecedented uptake in many tissues after systemic administration. We will review their specific properties and their therapeutic applications mainly for neuromuscular disorders, including exon-skipping for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and exon-inclusion for spinal muscular atrophy, but also aberrant splicing correction for Pompe disease. Finally, we will discuss their advantages and potential limitations, with a focus on the need for careful toxicological screen early in the process of AON drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurelie Goyenvalle
- Université de Versailles St- Quentin, U1179 INSERM, UFR des Sciences de la Santé - LIA BAHN CSM, France
| | - Christian Leumann
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Luis Garcia
- Université de Versailles St- Quentin, U1179 INSERM, UFR des Sciences de la Santé - LIA BAHN CSM, France
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Aupy P, Echevarría L, Relizani K, Goyenvalle A. The Use of Tricyclo-DNA Oligomers for the Treatment of Genetic Disorders. Biomedicines 2017; 6:E2. [PMID: 29271929 PMCID: PMC5874659 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines6010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Antisense Oligonucleotides (ASOs) represent very attractive therapeutic compounds for the treatment of numerous diseases. The antisense field has remarkably progressed over the last few years with the approval of the first antisense drugs and with promising developments of more potent and nuclease resistant chemistries. Despite these recent clinical successes and advances in chemistry and design, effective delivery of ASOs to their target tissues remains a major issue. This review will describe the latest advances obtained with the tricyclo-DNA (tcDNA) chemistry which displays unique pharmacological properties and unprecedented uptake in many tissues after systemic administration. We will examine the variety of therapeutic approaches using both fully modified tcDNA-ASOs and gapmers, including splice switching applications, correction of aberrant splicing, steric blocking strategies and targeted gene knock-down mediated by RNase H recruitment. We will then discuss the merits and potential liabilities of the tcDNA chemistry in the context of ASO drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippine Aupy
- INSERM U1179, UFR des Sciences de la Santé, University of Versailles St-Quentin, 78180 Montigny le Bretonneux, France.
| | - Lucía Echevarría
- INSERM U1179, UFR des Sciences de la Santé, University of Versailles St-Quentin, 78180 Montigny le Bretonneux, France.
- SQY Therapeutics, University of Versailles St-Quentin, 78180 Montigny le Bretonneux, France.
| | - Karima Relizani
- INSERM U1179, UFR des Sciences de la Santé, University of Versailles St-Quentin, 78180 Montigny le Bretonneux, France.
- SQY Therapeutics, University of Versailles St-Quentin, 78180 Montigny le Bretonneux, France.
| | - Aurélie Goyenvalle
- INSERM U1179, UFR des Sciences de la Santé, University of Versailles St-Quentin, 78180 Montigny le Bretonneux, France.
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8
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Short (16-mer) locked nucleic acid splice-switching oligonucleotides restore dystrophin production in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy myotubes. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0181065. [PMID: 28742140 PMCID: PMC5524367 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Splice-switching antisense oligonucleotides (SSOs) offer great potential for RNA-targeting therapies, and two SSO drugs have been recently approved for treating Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Despite promising results, new developments are still needed for more efficient chemistries and delivery systems. Locked nucleic acid (LNA) is a chemically modified nucleic acid that presents several attractive properties, such as high melting temperature when bound to RNA, potent biological activity, high stability and low toxicity in vivo. Here, we designed a series of LNA-based SSOs complementary to two sequences of the human dystrophin exon 51 that are most evolutionary conserved and evaluated their ability to induce exon skipping upon transfection into myoblasts derived from a DMD patient. We show that 16-mers with 60% of LNA modification efficiently induce exon skipping and restore synthesis of a truncated dystrophin isoform that localizes to the plasma membrane of patient-derived myotubes differentiated in culture. In sum, this study underscores the value of short LNA-modified SSOs for therapeutic applications.
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9
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Relizani K, Griffith G, Echevarría L, Zarrouki F, Facchinetti P, Vaillend C, Leumann C, Garcia L, Goyenvalle A. Efficacy and Safety Profile of Tricyclo-DNA Antisense Oligonucleotides in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Mouse Model. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2017; 8:144-157. [PMID: 28918017 PMCID: PMC5498286 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2017.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Revised: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 06/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Antisense oligonucleotides (AONs) hold promise for therapeutic splice-switching correction in many genetic diseases. However, despite advances in AON chemistry and design, systemic use of AONs is limited due to poor tissue uptake and sufficient therapeutic efficacy is still difficult to achieve. A novel class of AONs made of tricyclo-DNA (tcDNA) is considered very promising for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a neuromuscular disease typically caused by frameshifting deletions or nonsense mutations in the gene-encoding dystrophin and characterized by progressive muscle weakness, cardiomyopathy, and respiratory failure in addition to cognitive impairment. Herein, we report the efficacy and toxicology profile of a 13-mer tcDNA in mdx mice. We show that systemic delivery of 13-mer tcDNA allows restoration of dystrophin in skeletal muscles and to a lower extent in the brain, leading to muscle function improvement and correction of behavioral features linked to the emotional/cognitive deficiency. More importantly, tcDNA treatment was generally limited to minimal glomerular changes and few cell necroses in proximal tubules, with only slight variation in serum and urinary kidney toxicity biomarker levels. These results demonstrate an encouraging safety profile for tcDNA, albeit typical of phosphorothiate AONs, and confirm its therapeutic potential for the systemic treatment of DMD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karima Relizani
- Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, U1179 INSERM, UFR des Sciences de la Santé, 78180 Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France; SQY Therapeutics, UFR des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, 78180 Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France
| | - Graziella Griffith
- Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, U1179 INSERM, UFR des Sciences de la Santé, 78180 Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France; SQY Therapeutics, UFR des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, 78180 Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France
| | - Lucía Echevarría
- Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, U1179 INSERM, UFR des Sciences de la Santé, 78180 Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France
| | - Faouzi Zarrouki
- Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, U1179 INSERM, UFR des Sciences de la Santé, 78180 Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France; Neuro-PSI, UMR 9197, Université Paris Sud, CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - Patricia Facchinetti
- Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, U1179 INSERM, UFR des Sciences de la Santé, 78180 Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France
| | - Cyrille Vaillend
- Neuro-PSI, UMR 9197, Université Paris Sud, CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - Christian Leumann
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Luis Garcia
- Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, U1179 INSERM, UFR des Sciences de la Santé, 78180 Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France.
| | - Aurélie Goyenvalle
- Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, U1179 INSERM, UFR des Sciences de la Santé, 78180 Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France.
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Khvorova A, Watts JK. The chemical evolution of oligonucleotide therapies of clinical utility. Nat Biotechnol 2017; 35:238-248. [PMID: 28244990 PMCID: PMC5517098 DOI: 10.1038/nbt.3765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 749] [Impact Index Per Article: 107.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Accepted: 12/12/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
After nearly 40 years of development, oligonucleotide therapeutics are nearing meaningful clinical productivity. One of the key advantages of oligonucleotide drugs is that their delivery and potency are derived primarily from the chemical structure of the oligonucleotide whereas their target is defined by the base sequence. Thus, as oligonucleotides with a particular chemical design show appropriate distribution and safety profiles for clinical gene silencing in a particular tissue, this will open the door to the rapid development of additional drugs targeting other disease-associated genes in the same tissue. To achieve clinical productivity, the chemical architecture of the oligonucleotide needs to be optimized with a combination of sugar, backbone, nucleobase, and 3'- and 5'-terminal modifications. A portfolio of chemistries can be used to confer drug-like properties onto the oligonucleotide as a whole, with minor chemical changes often translating into major improvements in clinical efficacy. One outstanding challenge in oligonucleotide chemical development is the optimization of chemical architectures to ensure long-term safety. There are multiple designs that enable effective targeting of the liver, but a second challenge is to develop architectures that enable robust clinical efficacy in additional tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Khvorova
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jonathan K Watts
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
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11
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Ansari AS, Santerre PJ, Uludağ H. Biomaterials for polynucleotide delivery to anchorage-independent cells. J Mater Chem B 2017; 5:7238-7261. [DOI: 10.1039/c7tb01833a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Comparison of various chemical vectors used for polynucleotide delivery to mammalian anchorage-independent cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aysha S. Ansari
- Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering
- Faculty of Engineering
- University of Alberta
- Edmonton
- Canada
| | - Paul J. Santerre
- Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering
- University of Toronto
- Toronto
- Canada
| | - Hasan Uludağ
- Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering
- Faculty of Engineering
- University of Alberta
- Edmonton
- Canada
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12
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Bergsma AJ, in ‘t Groen SLM, Verheijen FW, van der Ploeg AT, Pijnappel WWMP. From Cryptic Toward Canonical Pre-mRNA Splicing in Pompe Disease: a Pipeline for the Development of Antisense Oligonucleotides. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2016; 5:e361. [PMID: 27623443 PMCID: PMC5056997 DOI: 10.1038/mtna.2016.75] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
While 9% of human pathogenic variants have an established effect on pre-mRNA splicing, it is suspected that an additional 20% of otherwise classified variants also affect splicing. Aberrant splicing includes disruption of splice sites or regulatory elements, or creation or strengthening of cryptic splice sites. For the majority of variants, it is poorly understood to what extent and how these may affect splicing. We have identified cryptic splicing in an unbiased manner. Three types of cryptic splicing were analyzed in the context of pathogenic variants in the acid α-glucosidase gene causing Pompe disease. These involved newly formed deep intronic or exonic cryptic splice sites, and a natural cryptic splice that was utilized due to weakening of a canonical splice site. Antisense oligonucleotides that targeted the identified cryptic splice sites repressed cryptic splicing at the expense of canonical splicing in all three cases, as shown by reverse-transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis and by enhancement of acid α-glucosidase enzymatic activity. This argues for a competition model for available splice sites, including intact or weakened canonical sites and natural or newly formed cryptic sites. The pipeline described here can detect cryptic splicing and correct canonical splicing using antisense oligonucleotides to restore the gene defect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atze J Bergsma
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Molecular Stem Cell Biology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Center for Lysosomal and Metabolic Diseases, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Stijn LM in ‘t Groen
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Molecular Stem Cell Biology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Center for Lysosomal and Metabolic Diseases, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Frans W Verheijen
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Molecular Diagnostics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ans T van der Ploeg
- Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Center for Lysosomal and Metabolic Diseases, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - WWM Pim Pijnappel
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Molecular Stem Cell Biology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Center for Lysosomal and Metabolic Diseases, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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13
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Matsuo M, Takeshima Y, Nishio H. Contributions of Japanese patients to development of antisense therapy for DMD. Brain Dev 2016; 38:4-9. [PMID: 26094594 DOI: 10.1016/j.braindev.2015.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2015] [Revised: 05/25/2015] [Accepted: 05/26/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal progressive muscle wasting disease considered untreatable since its first description in 1868. In 1987, the dystrophin gene responsible for DMD was cloned. This paved the way for the development of therapies. Antisense oligonucleotide (AO)-mediated exon skipping therapy is now reaching the stage of marketing authorization. On the 20th anniversary of the proposal of AO-mediated exon skipping therapy for DMD, this review explores the contributions of Japanese patients. RESULTS In 1990, a Japanese DMD patient was reported as having a small deletion within dystrophin exon 19 and complicating exon 19 skipping in the absence of any mutation at the consensus splice sites. This led to identification of a splicing enhancer sequence within exon 19. Remarkably, AOs against this sequence were shown to induce exon skipping. This encouraged us to propose AO-mediated exon skipping therapy for DMD in 1995. The therapy's effectiveness was verified in a Japanese patient with a nonsense dystrophin mutation manifesting as Becker muscular dystrophy. The patient showed skipping of the nonsense mutation-encoding exon. Finally, a DMD patient carrying a deletion of exon 20 volunteered to undergo intravenous AO infusion, enabling us to obtain proof of concept. The findings from these three patients greatly facilitated studies on exon skipping therapy. As a result, more than 300 reports on AO-mediated exon skipping therapy for DMD have been published, including at least two a month during the last few years. CONCLUSION We greatly appreciate the important contributions of Japanese patients to development of the exon skipping therapy for DMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masafumi Matsuo
- Department of Medical Rehabilitation, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Kobe Gakuin University, Japan.
| | | | - Hisahide Nishio
- Department of Community Medicine and Social Healthcare Science, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
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14
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Abstract
Nucleosome positioning is an important process required for proper genome packing and its accessibility to execute the genetic program in a cell-specific, timely manner. In the recent years hundreds of papers have been devoted to the bioinformatics, physics and biology of nucleosome positioning. The purpose of this review is to cover a practical aspect of this field, namely, to provide a guide to the multitude of nucleosome positioning resources available online. These include almost 300 experimental datasets of genome-wide nucleosome occupancy profiles determined in different cell types and more than 40 computational tools for the analysis of experimental nucleosome positioning data and prediction of intrinsic nucleosome formation probabilities from the DNA sequence. A manually curated, up to date list of these resources will be maintained at http://generegulation.info.
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15
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Istrate A, Medvecky M, Leumann CJ. 2'-Fluorination of tricyclo-DNA controls furanose conformation and increases RNA affinity. Org Lett 2015; 17:1950-3. [PMID: 25837683 DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.5b00662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The synthesis of 2'-fluoro tricyclo-DNA pyrimidine nucleosides with fluorine in the ribo-configuration and their incorporation into oligodeoxynucleotides was accomplished. Unlike the parent tc-T nucleoside, the 2'F-RNA-tc-T unit occurs in the 2'-exo conformation in the crystal. Specifically, F-RNA-tc-T was found to stabilize duplexes with RNA by +2 to +4 °C in Tm/mod. F-RNA-tc-nucleosides mix well with the DNA backbone and thus open up possibilities of using shorter and mixed-(DNA/tc-DNA) backbone oligonucleotides for therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alena Istrate
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michal Medvecky
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Christian J Leumann
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
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16
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Ittig D, Luisier S, Weiler J, Schümperli D, Leumann CJ. Improving gene silencing of siRNAs via tricyclo-DNA modification. ARTIFICIAL DNA, PNA & XNA 2014; 1:9-16. [PMID: 21687522 DOI: 10.4161/adna.1.1.11385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2010] [Revised: 01/22/2010] [Accepted: 02/03/2010] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) can be exploited for the selective silencing of disease-related genes via the RNA interference (RNAi) machinery and therefore raise hope for future therapeutic applications. Especially chemically modified siRNAs are of interest as they are expected to convert lead siRNA sequences into effective drugs. To study the potential of tricyclo-DNA (tc-DNA) in this context we systematically incorporated tc-DNA units at various positions in a siRNA duplex targeted to the EGFP gene that was expressed in HeLa cells. Silencing activity was measured by FACS, mRNA levels were determined by RT-PCR and the biostability of the modifed siRNAs was determined in human serum. We found that modifications in the 3'-overhangs in both the sense and antisense strands were compatible with the RNAi machinery leading to similar activities compared to wild-type (wt) siRNA. Additional modifications at the 3'-end, the 5'-end and in the center of the sense (passenger) strand were also well tolerated and did not compromise activity. Extensive modifications of the 3'- and the 5'-end in the antisense (guide) strand, however, abolished RNAi activity. Interestingly, modifications in the center of the duplex on both strands, corresponding to the position of the cleavage site by AGO2, increased efficacy relative to wt by a factor of 4 at the lowest concentrations (2 nM) investigated. In all cases, reduction of EGFP fluorescence was accompanied with a reduction of the EGFP mRNA level. Serum stability analysis further showed that 3'-overhang modifications only moderately increased stability while more extensive substitution by tc-DNA residues significantly enhanced biostability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damian Ittig
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; University of Bern; Bern, Switzerland
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17
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Hollenstein M, Leumann CJ. Synthesis and biochemical characterization of tricyclothymidine triphosphate (tc-TTP). Chembiochem 2014; 15:1901-4. [PMID: 25044722 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201402116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2014] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Tricyclo-DNA (tc-DNA) is a conformationally restricted oligonucleotide analogue that exhibits promising properties as a robust antisense agent. Here we report on the synthesis and biochemical characterization of tc-TTP, the triphosphate of a tc-DNA nucleoside containing the base thymine. Tc-TTP turned out to be a substrate for the Vent (exo(-) ) DNA polymerase, a polymerase that allows for multiple incorporations of tc-T nucleotides under primer extension reaction conditions. However, the substrate acceptance is rather low, as also observed for other sugar-modified analogues. Tc-TTP and tc-nucleotide-containing templates do not sustain enzymatic polymerization under physiological conditions; this indicates that tc-DNA-based antisense agents will not enter natural metabolic pathways that lead to long-term toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Hollenstein
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern (Switzerland).
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18
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Shimo T, Tachibana K, Saito K, Yoshida T, Tomita E, Waki R, Yamamoto T, Doi T, Inoue T, Kawakami J, Obika S. Design and evaluation of locked nucleic acid-based splice-switching oligonucleotides in vitro. Nucleic Acids Res 2014; 42:8174-87. [PMID: 24935206 PMCID: PMC4081108 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Antisense-mediated modulation of pre-mRNA splicing is an attractive therapeutic strategy for genetic diseases. Currently, there are few examples of modulation of pre-mRNA splicing using locked nucleic acid (LNA) antisense oligonucleotides, and, in particular, no systematic study has addressed the optimal design of LNA-based splice-switching oligonucleotides (LNA SSOs). Here, we designed a series of LNA SSOs complementary to the human dystrophin exon 58 sequence and evaluated their ability to induce exon skipping in vitro using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. We demonstrated that the number of LNAs in the SSO sequence and the melting temperature of the SSOs play important roles in inducing exon skipping and seem to be key factors for designing efficient LNA SSOs. LNA SSO length was an important determinant of activity: a 13-mer with six LNA modifications had the highest efficacy, and a 7-mer was the minimal length required to induce exon skipping. Evaluation of exon skipping activity using mismatched LNA/DNA mixmers revealed that 9-mer LNA SSO allowed a better mismatch discrimination. LNA SSOs also induced exon skipping of endogenous human dystrophin in primary human skeletal muscle cells. Taken together, our findings indicate that LNA SSOs are powerful tools for modulating pre-mRNA splicing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takenori Shimo
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Keisuke Tachibana
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Kiwamu Saito
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Tokuyuki Yoshida
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan Division of Cellular and Gene Therapy Products, National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1 Kamiyoga, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan
| | - Erisa Tomita
- Department of Nanobiochemistry, FIRST, Konan University, 7-1-20 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Reiko Waki
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Yamamoto
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Takefumi Doi
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Takao Inoue
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan Division of Cellular and Gene Therapy Products, National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1 Kamiyoga, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan
| | - Junji Kawakami
- Department of Nanobiochemistry, FIRST, Konan University, 7-1-20 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan Frontier Institute for Biomolecular Engineering Research (FIBER), Konan University, 7-1-20 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Satoshi Obika
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
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19
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Jarmin S, Kymalainen H, Popplewell L, Dickson G. New developments in the use of gene therapy to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2013; 14:209-30. [PMID: 24308293 DOI: 10.1517/14712598.2014.866087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal X-linked inherited disorder characterised by progressive muscle weakness, wasting and degeneration. Although the gene affected in DMD was identified over 25 years ago, there is still no effective treatment. AREAS COVERED Here we review some of the genetic-based strategies aimed at amelioration of the DMD phenotype. A number of Phase II/III clinical trials of antisense oligonucleotide-induced exon skipping for restoration of the open reading frame (ORF) of the DMD gene have recently been completed. The potential strategies for overcoming the hurdles that appear to prevent exon skipping becoming an effective treatment for DMD currently are discussed. EXPERT OPINION The applicability of exon skipping as a therapy to DMD is restricted and the development of alternative strategies that are more encompassing is needed. The rapid pre-clinical advances that are being made in the field of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based delivery of micro-dystrophin would address this. The obstacles to be faced with gene replacement strategies would include the need for high viral titres, efficient muscle targeting and avoidance of immune response to vector and transgene. The new emerging field of gene editing could potentially provide permanent correction of the DMD gene and the feasibility of such an approach to DMD is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Jarmin
- Royal Holloway University of London , Egham, Surrey , UK
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20
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Meregalli M, Navarro C, Sitzia C, Farini A, Montani E, Wein N, Razini P, Beley C, Cassinelli L, Parolini D, Belicchi M, Parazzoli D, Garcia L, Torrente Y. Full-length dysferlin expression driven by engineered human dystrophic blood derived CD133+ stem cells. FEBS J 2013; 280:6045-60. [PMID: 24028392 DOI: 10.1111/febs.12523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2013] [Revised: 09/02/2013] [Accepted: 09/04/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The protein dysferlin is abundantly expressed in skeletal and cardiac muscles, where its main function is membrane repair. Mutations in the dysferlin gene are involved in two autosomal recessive muscular dystrophies: Miyoshi myopathy and limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2B. Development of effective therapies remains a great challenge. Strategies to repair the dysferlin gene by skipping mutated exons, using antisense oligonucleotides (AONs), may be suitable only for a subset of mutations, while cell and gene therapy can be extended to all mutations. AON-treated blood-derived CD133+ stem cells isolated from patients with Miyoshi myopathy led to partial dysferlin reconstitution in vitro but failed to express dysferlin after intramuscular transplantation into scid/blAJ dysferlin null mice. We thus extended these experiments producing the full-length dysferlin mediated by a lentiviral vector in blood-derived CD133+ stem cells isolated from the same patients. Transplantation of engineered blood-derived CD133+ stem cells into scid/blAJ mice resulted in sufficient dysferlin expression to correct functional deficits in skeletal muscle membrane repair. Our data suggest for the first time that lentivirus-mediated delivery of full-length dysferlin in stem cells isolated from Miyoshi myopathy patients could represent an alternative therapeutic approach for treatment of dysferlinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirella Meregalli
- Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Centro Dino Ferrari, Milano, Italy
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21
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22
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Lundin KE, Højland T, Hansen BR, Persson R, Bramsen JB, Kjems J, Koch T, Wengel J, Smith CIE. Biological activity and biotechnological aspects of locked nucleic acids. ADVANCES IN GENETICS 2013; 82:47-107. [PMID: 23721720 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-407676-1.00002-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Locked nucleic acid (LNA) is one of the most promising new nucleic acid analogues that has been produced under the past two decades. In this chapter, we have tried to cover many of the different areas, where this molecule has been used to improve the function of synthetic oligonucleotides (ONs). The use of LNA in antisense ONs, including gapmers, splice-switching ONs, and siLNA, as well as antigene ONs, is reviewed. Pharmacokinetics as well as pharmacodynamics of LNA ONs and a description of selected compounds in, or close to, clinical testing are described. In addition, new LNA modifications and the adaptation of enzymes for LNA incorporation are reviewed. Such enzymes may become important for the development of stabilized LNA-containing aptamers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin E Lundin
- Clinical Research Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Novum, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.
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23
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Lietard J, Leumann CJ. Synthesis, pairing, and cellular uptake properties of C(6')-functionalized tricyclo-DNA. J Org Chem 2012; 77:4566-77. [PMID: 22551389 DOI: 10.1021/jo300648u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Tricyclo-DNA (tc-DNA) is a promising candidate for oligonucleotide-based therapeutic applications exhibiting increased affinity to RNA and increased resistance to nucleases. However, as many other oligonucleotide analogs, tc-DNA does not readily cross cell membranes. We wished to address this issue by preparing a prodrug of tc-DNA containing a metabolically labile group at C(6') that promotes cellular uptake. Two monomeric nucleoside building blocks bearing an ester function at C(6') (tc(ee)-T and tc(hd)-T) were synthesized starting from a known C(6') functionalized bicyclic sugar unit to which the cyclopropane ring was introduced via carbene addition. NIS-mediated nucleosidation of the corresponding glycal with in situ persilylated thymine afforded the β-iodonucleoside exclusively that was dehalogenated via radical reduction. Diversity in the ester function was obtained by hydrolysis and reesterification. The two nucleosides were subsequently incorporated into DNA or tc-DNA by standard phosphoramidite chemistry. The reactivity of the ester function during oligonucleotide deprotection was explored and the corresponding C(6') amide, carboxylic acid, or unchanged ester functions were obtained, depending on the deprotection conditions. Compared to unmodified DNA, these tc-DNA derivatives increased the stability of duplexes investigated with ΔT(m)/mod of +0.4 to +2.0 °C. The only destabilizing residue was tc(hd)-T, most likely due to self-aggregation of the lipophilic side chains in the single stranded oligonucleotide. A decamer containing five tc(hd)-T residues was readily taken up by HeLa and HEK 293T cells without the use of a transfection agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jory Lietard
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland
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24
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Murray S, Ittig D, Koller E, Berdeja A, Chappell A, Prakash TP, Norrbom M, Swayze EE, Leumann CJ, Seth PP. TricycloDNA-modified oligo-2'-deoxyribonucleotides reduce scavenger receptor B1 mRNA in hepatic and extra-hepatic tissues--a comparative study of oligonucleotide length, design and chemistry. Nucleic Acids Res 2012; 40:6135-43. [PMID: 22467214 PMCID: PMC3401458 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gks273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
We report the evaluation of 20-, 18-, 16- and 14-mer phosphorothioate (PS)-modified tricycloDNA (tcDNA) gapmer antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) in Tm, cell culture and animal experiments and compare them to their gap-matched 20-mer 2′-O-methoxyethyl (MOE) and 14-mer 2′,4′-constrained ethyl (cEt) counterparts. The sequence-matched 20-mer tcDNA and MOE ASOs showed similar Tm and activity in cell culture under free-uptake and cationic lipid-mediated transfection conditions, while the 18-, 16- and 14-mer tcDNA ASOs were moderate to significantly less active. These observations were recapitulated in the animal experiments where the 20-mer tcDNA ASO formulated in saline showed excellent activity (ED50 3.9 mg/kg) for reducing SR-B1 mRNA in liver. The tcDNA 20-mer ASO also showed better activity than the MOE 20-mer in several extra-hepatic tissues such as kidney, heart, diaphragm, lung, fat, gastrocnemius and quadriceps. Interestingly, the 14-mer cEt ASO showed the best activity in the animal experiments despite significantly lower Tm and 5-fold reduced activity in cell culture relative to the 20-mer tcDNA and MOE-modified ASOs. Our experiments establish tcDNA as a useful modification for antisense therapeutics and highlight the role of chemical modifications in influencing ASO pharmacology and pharmacokinetic properties in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sue Murray
- Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, CA 92010, USA
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25
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Abstract
Exon-skipping antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) can be used to knockdown the expression of an undesired gene or specific gene isoform. This chapter discusses the potential therapeutic applications of the technique and provides a sample protocol for inducing exon-skipping in Apolipoprotein B in vitro, as well as a protocol for quantifying exon-skipping using real-time PCR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Disterer
- Department of Endocrinology, UCL Medical School, London, UK
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26
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Teif VB, Rippe K. Calculating transcription factor binding maps for chromatin. Brief Bioinform 2011; 13:187-201. [PMID: 21737419 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbr037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Current high-throughput experiments already generate enough data for retrieving the DNA sequence-dependent binding affinities of transcription factors (TF) and other chromosomal proteins throughout the complete genome. However, the reverse task of calculating binding maps in a chromatin context for a given set of concentrations and TF affinities appears to be even more challenging and computationally demanding. The problem can be addressed by considering the DNA sequence as a one-dimensional lattice with units of one or more base pairs. To calculate protein occupancies in chromatin, one needs to consider the competition of TF and histone octamers for binding sites as well as the partial unwrapping of nucleosomal DNA. Here, we consider five different classes of algorithms to compute binding maps that include the binary variable, combinatorial, sequence generating function, transfer matrix and dynamic programming approaches. The calculation time of the binary variable algorithm scales exponentially with DNA length, which limits its use to the analysis of very small genomic regions. For regulatory regions with many overlapping binding sites, potentially applicable algorithms reduce either to the transfer matrix or dynamic programming approach. In addition to the recently proposed transfer matrix formalism for TF access to the nucleosomal organized DNA, we develop here a dynamic programming algorithm that accounts for this feature. In the absence of nucleosomes, dynamic programming outperforms the transfer matrix approach, but the latter is faster when nucleosome unwrapping has to be considered. Strategies are discussed that could further facilitate calculations to allow computing genome-wide TF binding maps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir B Teif
- BioQuant and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 267, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
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27
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Ittig D, Gerber AB, Leumann CJ. Position-dependent effects on stability in tricyclo-DNA modified oligonucleotide duplexes. Nucleic Acids Res 2010; 39:373-80. [PMID: 20719742 PMCID: PMC3017593 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkq733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A series of oligodeoxyribonucleotides and oligoribonucleotides containing single and multiple tricyclo(tc)-nucleosides in various arrangements were prepared and the thermal and thermodynamic transition profiles of duplexes with complementary DNA and RNA evaluated. Tc-residues aligned in a non-continuous fashion in an RNA strand significantly decrease affinity to complementary RNA and DNA, mostly as a consequence of a loss of pairing enthalpy ΔH. Arranging the tc-residues in a continuous fashion rescues T(m) and leads to higher DNA and RNA affinity. Substitution of oligodeoxyribonucleotides in the same way causes much less differences in T(m) when paired to complementary DNA and leads to substantial increases in T(m) when paired to complementary RNA. CD-spectroscopic investigations in combination with molecular dynamics simulations of duplexes with single modifications show that tc-residues in the RNA backbone distinctly influence the conformation of the neighboring nucleotides forcing them into higher energy conformations, while tc-residues in the DNA backbone seem to have negligible influence on the nearest neighbor conformations. These results rationalize the observed affinity differences and are of relevance for the design of tc-DNA containing oligonucleotides for applications in antisense or RNAi therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damian Ittig
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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28
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Kotekar AS, Weissman JD, Gegonne A, Cohen H, Singer DS. Histone modifications, but not nucleosomal positioning, correlate with major histocompatibility complex class I promoter activity in different tissues in vivo. Mol Cell Biol 2008; 28:7323-36. [PMID: 18809568 PMCID: PMC2593446 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.00889-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2008] [Revised: 07/08/2008] [Accepted: 09/16/2008] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
To examine the role of chromatin in transcriptional regulation of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I gene, we determined nucleosome occupancy and positioning, histone modifications, and H2A.Z occupancy across its regulatory region in murine tissues that have widely different expression levels. Surprisingly, nucleosome occupancy and positioning were indistinguishable between the spleen, kidney, and brain. In all three tissues, the 200 bp upstream of the transcription start site had low nucleosome occupancy. In contrast, nuclease hypersensitivity, histone modifications, and H2A.Z occupancy showed tissue-specific differences. Thus, tissue-specific differences in MHC class I transcription correlate with histone modifications and not nucleosomal organization. Further, activation of class I transcription by gamma interferon or its inhibition by alpha-amanitin did not alter nucleosome occupancy, positioning, nuclease hypersensitivity, histone modifications, or H2A.Z occupancy in any of the tissues examined. Thus, chromatin remodeling was not required to dynamically modulate transcriptional levels. These findings suggest that the MHC class I promoter remains poised and accessible to rapidly respond to infection and environmental cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aparna S Kotekar
- Molecular Regulation Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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29
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Song JS, Liu X, Liu XS, He X. A high-resolution map of nucleosome positioning on a fission yeast centromere. Genes Dev 2008; 18:1064-72. [PMID: 18411404 PMCID: PMC2493395 DOI: 10.1101/gr.075374.107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2007] [Accepted: 04/03/2008] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
A key element for defining the centromere identity is the incorporation of a specific histone H3, CENPA, known as Cnp1p in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Previous studies have suggested that functional S. pombe centromeres lack regularly positioned nucleosomes and may involve chromatin remodeling as a key step of kinetochore assembly. We used tiling microarrays to show that nucleosomes are, in fact, positioned in regular intervals in the core of centromere 2, providing the first high-resolution map of regional centromere chromatin. Nucleosome locations are not disrupted by mutations in kinetochore protein genes cnp1, mis18, mis12, nuf2, mal2; overexpression of cnp1; or the deletion of ams2, which encodes a GATA-like factor participating in CENPA incorporation. Bioinformatics analysis of the centromere sequence indicates certain enriched motifs in linker regions between nucleosomes and reveals a sequence bias in nucleosome positioning. In addition, sequence analysis of nucleosome-free regions identifies novel binding sites of Ams2p. We conclude that centromeric nucleosome positions are stable and may be derived from the underlying DNA sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun S. Song
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA, and Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- The Simons Center for Systems Biology, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA
| | - Xingkun Liu
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - X. Shirley Liu
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA, and Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Xiangwei He
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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30
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Faccini A, Tortori A, Tedeschi T, Sforza S, Tonelli R, Pession A, Corradini R, Marchelli R. Circular dichroism study of DNA binding by a potential anticancer peptide nucleic acid targeted against the MYCN oncogene. Chirality 2008; 20:494-500. [PMID: 17963203 DOI: 10.1002/chir.20489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The interaction with DNA of a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) oligomer (16nt) conjugated with a nuclear localization signal (NLS) peptide, which was previously found to be able to inhibit tumor cell proliferation through block of transcription of the MYCN oncogene, was studied by UV and CD spectroscopy. While data obtained by UV were not conclusive, the use of circular dichroism gave clear-cut evidence of the formation of a PNA:DNA duplex of exceptionally high stability (Tm >or= 90 degrees C). Using the same approach, the effect of mutations on DNA:PNA stability was evaluated, and was found in accordance with that expected for a Watson-Crick interaction. The role of the NLS peptide was evaluated by using a PNA lacking of this part, which gave rise to less stable PNA:DNA duplexes. Finally, a competition experiment carried out with a 26mer dsDNA, containing the target 16mer sequence in its middle region, in the presence of PNA-NLS gave evidence for the formation of a ternary complex at 25 degrees , while at higher temperature, the PNA:DNA duplex and the displaced homologous DNA strand were detected. The present results support the possibility of an analogous mechanism of action of this antitumor PNA in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Faccini
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Organica e Industriale, Università di Parma, Parma, Italy
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Ivanova G, Arzumanov A, Gait MJ, Reigadas S, Toulmé JJ, Andreola ML, Ittig D, Leumann C. Comparative studies of tricyclo-DNA- and LNA-containing oligonucleotides as inhibitors of HIV-1 gene expression. NUCLEOSIDES NUCLEOTIDES & NUCLEIC ACIDS 2008; 26:747-50. [PMID: 18066894 DOI: 10.1080/15257770701490928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Trans-activation of HIV-1 transcription is triggered by the interaction of the protein Tat and host cellular factors with a 59-residue stem-loop RNA known as the trans-activation responsive element (TAR). Here we compare the trans-activation steric block inhibitory activity of 16-mer oligonucleotides targeted to TAR containing tricyclo-DNAs, and their mixmers with LNA or OMe residues, with LNA/OMe oligonucleotide. Despite generally weaker TAR RNA binding affinity, all tricyclo-DNA oligonucleotides showed similarly good activity levels to OMe/LNA oligonucleotide in a HeLa Tat-dependent trans-activation cell reporter assay with cationic lipid delivery, but mixmers of tricyclo-DNA were inactive. Tricyclo-DNA 16-mer showed sequence-specific inhibition of beta-galactosidase expression in an anti-HIV HeLa cell reporter assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Ivanova
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Medical Research Council, Cambridge, UK
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32
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Ivanova G, Reigadas S, Ittig D, Arzumanov A, Andreola ML, Leumann C, Toulmé JJ, Gait MJ. Tricyclo-DNA containing oligonucleotides as steric block inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 tat-dependent trans-activation and HIV-1 infectivity. Oligonucleotides 2007; 17:54-65. [PMID: 17461763 DOI: 10.1089/oli.2006.0046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is controlled by a variety of viral and host proteins. The viral protein Tat acts in concert with host cellular factors to stimulate transcriptional elongation from the viral long terminal repeat (LTR) through a specific interaction with a 59-residue stem-loop RNA known as the trans-activation responsive element (TAR). Inhibitors of Tat-TAR recognition are expected to block transcription and suppress HIV-1 replication. In previous studies, we showed that 2'-O-methyl (OMe) oligonucleotide mixmers containing locked nucleic acid (LNA) residues are powerful steric block inhibitors of Tat-dependent trans-activation in a HeLa cell reporter system. Here we compare OMe/LNA mixmer oligonucleotides with oligonucleotides containing tricyclo-DNAs and their mixmers with OMe residues in four different assays: (1) binding to the target TAR RNA, (2) Tat-dependent in vitro transcription from an HIV-1 DNA template directed by HeLa cell nuclear extract, (3) trans-activation inhibition in HeLa cells containing a stably integrated firefly luciferase reporter gene under HIV-1 LTR control, and (4) an anti-HIV beta-galactosidase reporter assay of viral infection. Although tricyclo-DNA oligonucleotides bound TAR RNA more weakly, they were as good as OMe/LNA oligonucleotides in suppressing in vitro transcription and trans-activation in HeLa cells when delivered by cationic lipid. No inhibition of in vitro transcription and trans-activation in HeLa cells was observed for tricyclo-DNA/OMe mixmers, even though their affinities to TAR RNA were strong and their cell distributions did not differ from oligonucleotides containing all or predominantly tricyclo-DNA residues. Tricyclo-DNA 16-mer showed sequence-specific inhibition of beta-galactosidase expression in an anti-HIV HeLa cell reporter assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Ivanova
- Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 2QH, UK
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Corradini R, Sforza S, Tedeschi T, Marchelli R. Chirality as a tool in nucleic acid recognition: principles and relevance in biotechnology and in medicinal chemistry. Chirality 2007; 19:269-94. [PMID: 17345563 DOI: 10.1002/chir.20372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The understanding of the interaction of chiral species with DNA or RNA is very important for the development of new tools in biology and of new drugs. Several cases in which chirality is a crucial point in determining the DNA binding mode are reviewed and discussed, with the aim of illustrating how chirality can be considered as a tool for improving the understanding of mechanisms and the effectiveness of nucleic acid recognition. The review is divided into two parts: the former describes examples of chiral species interacting with DNA: intercalators, metal complexes, and groove binders; the latter part is dedicated to chirality in DNA analogs, with discussion of phosphate stereochemistry and chirality of ribose substitutes, in particular of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) for which a number of works have been published recently dealing with the effect of chirality in DNA recognition. The discussion is intended to show how enantiomeric recognition originates at the molecular level, by exploiting the enormous progresses recently achieved in the field of structural characterization of complexes formed by nucleic acid with their ligands by crystallographic and spectroscopic methods. Examples of application of the DNA binding molecules described and the role of chirality in DNA recognition relevant for biotechnology or medicinal chemistry are reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Corradini
- Dipartimento di Chimica Organica e Industriale, Università di Parma, I-4310 Parma, Italy.
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Obika S, Sekiguchi M, Somjing R, Imanishi T. Adjustment of the gamma dihedral angle of an oligonucleotide P3'-->N5' phosphoramidate enhances its binding affinity towards complementary strands. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2006; 44:1944-7. [PMID: 15678433 DOI: 10.1002/anie.200461942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Obika
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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35
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Orlov YL, Levitskii VG, Smirnova OG, Podkolodnaya OA, Khlebodarova TM, Kolchanov NA. Statistical analysis of DNA sequences containing nucleosome positioning sites. Biophysics (Nagoya-shi) 2006. [DOI: 10.1134/s0006350906040051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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36
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Brown DE, Arzumanov A, Syed S, Gait MJ, Lever AML. Inhibition of HIV-1 replication by oligonucleotide analogues directed to the packaging signal and trans-activating response region. Antivir Chem Chemother 2006; 17:1-9. [PMID: 16542000 DOI: 10.1177/095632020601700101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV possesses a remarkable capacity for mutational escape from therapeutics that target the viral proteins and enzymes. Inhibitory strategies aimed at highly conserved nucleic acid sequences within the genome are an attractive alternative. However, it has proven difficult to achieve an effective level of therapeutic at the appropriate site within the cell. Oligonucleotide delivery is a rapidly advancing field. We have investigated oligonucleotide analogues as steric-block therapeutics against two highly conserved regions of the HIV-1 genome. In the study we show that 2'0-methyl/locked nucleic acid oligonucleotides against the packaging signal and trans-activating response regions of HIV can inhibit replication of the virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas E Brown
- University of Cambridge, Department of Medicine, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
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Vinogradov AE. "Genome design" model: evidence from conserved intronic sequence in human-mouse comparison. Genes Dev 2006; 16:347-54. [PMID: 16461636 PMCID: PMC1415212 DOI: 10.1101/gr.4318206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2005] [Accepted: 12/15/2005] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Introns are shorter in housekeeping genes than in tissue- or development-specific genes. Differing explanations have been offered for this phenomenon: selection for economy (in housekeeping genes), mutation bias or "genomic design." The large-scale implementation in this present paper of a rigorous local sequence alignment algorithm revealed an unprecedented fraction of evolutionarily conserved DNA in human-mouse introns ( approximately 60% of human and approximately 70% of mouse intron length remained after masking for lineage-specific repeats). The length distributions of both conserved and nonconserved regions are very broad but show peaks close to nucleosomal and di-nucleosomal DNA. Both the fraction of conserved sequence and its absolute length were higher in introns of tissue-specific genes than housekeeping genes. This difference remained after control for between-species identity of the conserved fraction, mutation rate, and GC content. In a more direct control, the product of the conserved sequence fraction and the between-species identity of this fraction (which can be considered to be the fraction of conserved nucleotides) was greater in introns of tissue-specific genes than housekeeping genes. Neither the fraction of intron length covered by repeats nor the balance of small insertions and deletions (indels) can explain the greater length of introns in tissue-specific genes. The length of the conserved intronic DNA in a gene is correlated with the number of functional domains in the protein encoded by that gene. These results suggest that the greater length of introns in tissue-specific genes is not due to selection for economy or mutation bias but instead is related to functional complexity (probably mediated by chromatin condensation), and that the evolution of the bulk of noncoding DNA is not completely neutral.
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Erdmann V, Barciszewski J, Brosius J. Locked nucleic acid: high-affinity targeting of complementary RNA for RNomics. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2006; 173:405-22. [PMID: 16594628 PMCID: PMC7120141 DOI: 10.1007/3-540-27262-3_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Locked nucleic acid (LNA) is a nucleic acid analog containing one or more LNA nucleotide monomers with a bicyclic furanose unit locked in an RNA-mimicking sugar conformation. This conformational restriction is translated into unprecedented hybridization affinity towards complementary single-stranded RNA molecules. That makes fully modified LNAs, LNA/DNA mixmers, or LNA/RNA mixmers uniquely suited for mimicking RNA structures and for RNA targeting in vitro or in vivo. The focus of this chapter is on LNA antisense, LNA-modified DNAzymes (LNAzymes), LNA-modified small interfering (si)RNA (siLNA), LNA-enhanced expression profiling by real-time RT-PCR and detection and analysis of microRNAs by LNA-modified probes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volker Erdmann
- Institute of Chemistry/Biochemistry, Free University Berlin, Thielallee 63, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Barciszewski
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Scienes, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Jürgen Brosius
- Institute of Experimental Pathology, Molecular Neurobiology (ZMBE), University of Münster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 56, 48149 Münster, Germany
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Tyson-Capper AJ, Europe-Finner GN. Novel targeting of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) pre-mRNA using antisense morpholino oligonucleotides directed to the 3' acceptor and 5' donor splice sites of exon 4: suppression of COX-2 activity in human amnion-derived WISH and myometrial cells. Mol Pharmacol 2005; 69:796-804. [PMID: 16354766 DOI: 10.1124/mol.105.020529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) has been implicated in the onset of both term and preterm labor. In this context, both selective and nonselective COX-2 inhibitors have been used in clinical trials to determine their efficacy in delaying preterm labor. However, recent evidence indicates that these tocolytics may have potentially adverse fetal and maternal side effects. Therefore, the development of more specific and nontoxic agents to inhibit COX-2 needs to be considered. We have evaluated whether antisense morpholino oligonucleotides have therapeutic potential in inhibiting COX-2 by specifically targeting both the 3' and 5' acceptor and donor sites of exon 4 of COX-2's pre-mRNA sequence. Confocal microscopy on "live" cells illustrated high levels of penetrance of antisense morpholino oligonucleotides using the Endo-Porter formula (Gene-Tools, LLC, Philomath, OR), with delivery efficiencies of 82 and 78%, respectively, in amnion-derived WISH and myometrial cells. Substantial inhibition by the morpholino oligonucleotides of COX-2 expression, induced by lipopolysaccharide administration, was observed at both the mRNA and protein levels. Loss of enzymic activity of COX-2 was confirmed using a sensitive COX enzyme activity assay, which reflects the rate of conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandin H2. Our results indicate that antisense morpholino oligonucleotides significantly inhibit expression and activity of this enzyme in in vitro cultures of amnion-WISH and myometrial cells. The potential thus exists that a similar approach can be mimicked in vivo to produce a highly specific and nontoxic strategy to inhibit COX-2 activity with its subsequent effects on the better management of preterm labor and other inflammatory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison J Tyson-Capper
- School of Surgical and Reproductive Sciences, 3rd Floor, William Leech Building, The Medical School, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.
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Renneberg D, Leumann CJ. Exploring Hoogsteen and reversed-Hoogsteen duplex and triplex formation with tricyclo-DNA purine sequences. Chembiochem 2005; 5:1114-8. [PMID: 15300836 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.200400069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The duplex- and triplex-formation properties of the tricyclo-DNA purine decamer 5'p-gagaaggaaa-3' as a single strand or as part of a hairpin duplex with corresponding parallel and antiparallel pyrimidine DNA and RNA complements, as well as with antiparallel purine DNA and RNA complements, were investigated by UV melting curve analysis, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and gel mobility shift experiments. It was found that tricyclo-DNA forms very stable duplexes with the pyrimidine RNA and DNA complements not only in the Watson-Crick pairing mode, but also in the Hoogsteen one. Below pH 6.0, the tc-DNA/DNA and tc-DNA/RNA Hoogsteen duplexes were found to be more stable than the corresponding Watson-Crick DNA duplexes. Triplexes of the hairpin structure with parallel pyrimidine complements revealed even stronger Hoogsteen pairing relative to the duplexes, presumably due to structural preorganization phenomena. Triplex formation with antiparallel pyrimidine and purine third strands (reversed-Hoogsteen motif) could not be observed and seem to be unstable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorte Renneberg
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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41
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Obika S, Sekiguchi M, Somjing R, Imanishi T. Adjustment of the? Dihedral Angle of an Oligonucleotide P3??N5? Phosphoramidate Enhances Its Binding Affinity towards Complementary Strands. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2005. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.200461942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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42
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Matsunaga D, Asanuma H, Komiyama M. Photoregulation of RNA Digestion by RNase H with Azobenzene-Tethered DNA. J Am Chem Soc 2004; 126:11452-3. [PMID: 15366887 DOI: 10.1021/ja0471976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
RNA digestion by RNase H, which is responsible for the antisense effect, was efficiently photoregulated by use of the duplex of azobenzene-tethered sense DNA and native antisense DNA. In the dark, RNA digestion was suppressed because antisense DNA was strongly hybridized with azobenzene-tethered sense DNA, and accordingly RNA was isolated. On UV irradiation, antisense DNA was released from the azobenzene-tethered DNA due to the trans-to-cis isomerization and hybridized with RNA, which was digested by RNase H.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daijiro Matsunaga
- Research Center for Advance Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
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