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Dong Y, Wang J, Chen L, Chen H, Dang S, Li F. Aptamer-based assembly systems for SARS-CoV-2 detection and therapeutics. Chem Soc Rev 2024; 53:6830-6859. [PMID: 38829187 DOI: 10.1039/d3cs00774j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Nucleic acid aptamers are oligonucleotide chains with molecular recognition properties. Compared with antibodies, aptamers show advantages given that they are readily produced via chemical synthesis and elicit minimal immunogenicity in biomedicine applications. Notably, aptamer-encoded nucleic acid assemblies further improve the binding affinity of aptamers with the targets due to their multivalent synergistic interactions. Specially, aptamers can be engineered with special topological arrangements in nucleic acid assemblies, which demonstrate spatial and valence matching towards antigens on viruses, thus showing potential in the detection and therapeutic applications of viruses. This review presents the recent progress on the aptamers explored for SARS-CoV-2 detection and infection treatment, wherein applications of aptamer-based assembly systems are introduced in detail. Screening methods and chemical modification strategies for aptamers are comprehensively summarized, and the types of aptamers employed against different target domains of SARS-CoV-2 are illustrated. The evolution of aptamer-based assembly systems for the detection and neutralization of SARS-CoV-2, as well as the construction principle and characteristics of aptamer-based DNA assemblies are demonstrated. The typically representative works are presented to demonstrate how to assemble aptamers rationally and elaborately for specific applications in SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis and neutralization. Finally, we provide deep insights into the current challenges and future perspectives towards aptamer-based nucleic acid assemblies for virus detection and neutralization in nanomedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhang Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, P. R. China.
| | - Jingping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, P. R. China.
| | - Ling Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, P. R. China.
| | - Haonan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, P. R. China.
| | - Shuangbo Dang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, P. R. China.
| | - Feng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, P. R. China.
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Toyama Y, Shimada I. Quantitative analysis of the slow exchange process by 19F NMR in the presence of scalar and dipolar couplings: applications to the ribose 2'- 19F probe in nucleic acids. JOURNAL OF BIOMOLECULAR NMR 2024:10.1007/s10858-024-00446-7. [PMID: 38918317 DOI: 10.1007/s10858-024-00446-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Solution NMR spectroscopy is a particularly powerful technique for characterizing the functional dynamics of biomolecules, which is typically achieved through the quantitative characterization of chemical exchange processes via the measurement of spin relaxation rates. In addition to the conventional nuclei such as 15N and 13C, which are abundant in biomolecules, fluorine-19 (19F) has recently garnered attention and is being widely used as a site-specific spin probe. While 19F offers the advantages of high sensitivity and low background, it can be susceptible to artifacts in quantitative relaxation analyses due to a multitude of dipolar and scalar coupling interactions with nearby 1H spins. In this study, we focused on the ribose 2'-19F spin probe in nucleic acids and investigated the effects of 1H-19F spin interactions on the quantitative characterization of slow exchange processes on the millisecond time scale. We demonstrated that the 1H-19F dipolar coupling can significantly affect the interpretation of 19F chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) experiments when 1H decoupling is applied, while the 1H-19F interactions have a lesser impact on Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill relaxation dispersion applications. We also proposed a modified CEST scheme to alleviate these artifacts along with experimental verifications on self-complementary RNA systems. The theoretical framework presented in this study can be widely applied to various 19F spin systems where 1H-19F interactions are operative, further expanding the utility of 19F relaxation-based NMR experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Toyama
- Laboratory for Dynamic Structure of Biomolecules, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan.
| | - Ichio Shimada
- Laboratory for Dynamic Structure of Biomolecules, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan.
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-4-4, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8528, Japan.
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3
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El-Khoury R, Cabrero C, Movilla S, Kaur H, Friedland D, Domínguez A, Thorpe JD, Roman M, Orozco M, González C, Damha MJ. Formation of left-handed helices by C2'-fluorinated nucleic acids under physiological salt conditions. Nucleic Acids Res 2024:gkae508. [PMID: 38874502 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent findings in cell biology have rekindled interest in Z-DNA, the left-handed helical form of DNA. We report here that two minimally modified nucleosides, 2'F-araC and 2'F-riboG, induce the formation of the Z-form under low ionic strength. We show that oligomers entirely made of these two nucleosides exclusively produce left-handed duplexes that bind to the Zα domain of ADAR1. The effect of the two nucleotides is so dramatic that Z-form duplexes are the only species observed in 10 mM sodium phosphate buffer and neutral pH, and no B-form is observed at any temperature. Hence, in contrast to other studies reporting formation of Z/B-form equilibria by a preference for purine glycosidic angles in syn, our NMR and computational work revealed that sequential 2'F…H2N and intramolecular 3'H…N3' interactions stabilize the left-handed helix. The equilibrium between B- and Z- forms is slow in the 19F NMR time scale (≥ms), and each conformation exhibited unprecedented chemical shift differences in the 19F signals. This observation led to a reliable estimation of the relative population of B and Z species and enabled us to monitor B-Z transitions under different conditions. The unique features of 2'F-modified DNA should thus be a valuable addition to existing techniques for specific detection of new Z-binding proteins and ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto El-Khoury
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Cristina Cabrero
- Instituto de Química Física Blas Cabrera, CSIC, Serrano 119, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Santiago Movilla
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Harneesh Kaur
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - David Friedland
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Arnau Domínguez
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
- IQAC-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - James D Thorpe
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Morgane Roman
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Modesto Orozco
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carlos González
- Instituto de Química Física Blas Cabrera, CSIC, Serrano 119, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Masad J Damha
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
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4
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Xu Q, Xiao Z, Yang Q, Yu T, Deng X, Chen N, Huang Y, Wang L, Guo J, Wang J. Hydrogel-based cardiac repair and regeneration function in the treatment of myocardial infarction. Mater Today Bio 2024; 25:100978. [PMID: 38434571 PMCID: PMC10907859 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2024.100978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
A life-threatening illness that poses a serious threat to human health is myocardial infarction. It may result in a significant number of myocardial cells dying, dilated left ventricles, dysfunctional heart function, and ultimately cardiac failure. Based on the development of emerging biomaterials and the lack of clinical treatment methods and cardiac donors for myocardial infarction, hydrogels with good compatibility have been gradually applied to the treatment of myocardial infarction. Specifically, based on the three processes of pathophysiology of myocardial infarction, we summarized various types of hydrogels designed for myocardial tissue engineering in recent years, including natural hydrogels, intelligent hydrogels, growth factors, stem cells, and microRNA-loaded hydrogels. In addition, we also describe the heart patch and preparation techniques that promote the repair of MI heart function. Although most of these hydrogels are still in the preclinical research stage and lack of clinical trials, they have great potential for further application in the future. It is expected that this review will improve our knowledge of and offer fresh approaches to treating myocardial infarction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaxin Xu
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
- The Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Basic and Translational Research on Chronic Diseases, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Zeyu Xiao
- The Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Basic and Translational Research on Chronic Diseases, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
- The Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging for Clinical Translation, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Qianzhi Yang
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
- The Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Basic and Translational Research on Chronic Diseases, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Tingting Yu
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
- The Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Basic and Translational Research on Chronic Diseases, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Xiujiao Deng
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
- The Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Basic and Translational Research on Chronic Diseases, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Nenghua Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
- The Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Basic and Translational Research on Chronic Diseases, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Yanyu Huang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
| | - Lihong Wang
- The Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Basic and Translational Research on Chronic Diseases, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Jun Guo
- The Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Basic and Translational Research on Chronic Diseases, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Jinghao Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
- The Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Basic and Translational Research on Chronic Diseases, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
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5
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Chen X, Xie L, Zhang C, Tian S, Tang Z, Xiang M, Tian W, Lu P, Yang X. Synthesis of Nucleotides Bearing the 2'-O-Trifluoromethyl Group and Their Application in RNA Analogs Preparation. Curr Protoc 2024; 4:e956. [PMID: 38230581 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
The integration of fluorine atoms into biologically active organic compounds has proved to be a vital technique in small molecule drugs. This technique can substantially enhance crucial properties, including metabolic stability, lipophilicity, and bioavailability, often with a mere addition of a single fluorine atom or a trifluoromethyl group. Over the past few decades, this concept has also been applied in nucleic acid chemistry. A commonly employed 2'-OH substitution is the introduction of a 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro (2'-F) group. The strong electronegativity of fluorine prompts the modified siRNA to readily adopt a C3'-endo conformation, resulting in significant advantages in terms of binding affinity. To enrich the toolbox of chemical modification of oligonucleotides, the replacement of the 2'-OH with the 2'-O-trifluoromethyl group has been developed in RNA analog synthesis. Oligodeoxynucleotides containing the 2'-O-trifluoromethyl group can greatly increase the thermal stability of DNA/RNA duplexes depending on the position and amount of the modification. Moreover, 2'-O-trifluoromethylated oligodeoxynucleotide also exhibited a slightly higher resistance to snake venom phosphodiesterase than the unmodified oligodeoxynucleotide. The 2'-O-trifluoromethylated oligonucleotides can emerge as a label to study RNA structure and function as well, or to develop DNA/RNA-based diagnostics. Hence, it is necessary to report an effective method for the synthesis, deprotection, purification, and characterization of oligonucleotides bearing a 2'-O-trifluoromethyl group. © 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Preparation of 6-N-benzoyl-5'-O-dimethoxytrityl-2'-O-trifluoromethyl adenosine 3'-(2-cyanoethyl N,N-diisopropyl)phosphoramidite Basic Protocol 2: Preparation of 4-N-acetyl-5'-O-dimethoxytrityl-2'-O-trifluoromethyl cytidine 3'-(2-cyanoethyl N,N-diisopropyl)phosphoramidite Basic Protocol 3: Preparation of 2-N-isobutyryl-5'-O-dimethoxytrityl-2'-O-trifluoromethyl guanine 3'-(2-cyanoethyl N,N-diisopropyl)phosphoramidite Basic Protocol 4: Preparation of 5'-O-dimethoxytrityl-2'-O-2-trifluoromethyl uridine 3'-(2-cyanoethyl N,N-diisopropyl) phosphoramidite Basic Protocol 5: Solid-phase synthesis of 2'-O-trifluoromethylated RNA analogs Basic Protocol 6: Deprotection and purification of 2'-O-trifluoromethyl-RNAs.
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6
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Chen X, Xie L, Zhang C, Tian S, Tang Z, Tian W, Lu P, Yang X. A Convenient Method for the Synthesis of 2'-O-Cyanoethylated Nucleotides and Their Application in the Solid-Phase Synthesis of Related RNA Analogs. Curr Protoc 2023; 3:e923. [PMID: 37962485 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Although small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a key player among gene inhibition therapeutics, there are many obstacles to the development of siRNA drugs due to inherent properties of oligonucleotides, including the unsatisfactory stability of unmodified siRNA, poor pharmacokinetic distribution, and the toxicity induced by off-target effects. To maximize treatment potency, chemical modification of siRNA has undoubtedly been the most successful strategy by far. Widely applied modifications include phosphorothioate linkages, 2'-O-methyl modifications, and 2'-fluoro modifications, among others. To extend the family of chemical modifications for oligonucleotides, 2'-O-cyanoethylated RNA analogs were developed through the replacement of the 2'-hydroxyl group with a 2'-O-cyanoethyl group (-OCH2 CH2 CN). This modification can provide several advantages over unmodified RNA, such as increased stability, improved binding affinity to complementary DNA or RNA strands, and resistance to degradation by cellular nucleases. The 2'-O-cyanoethyl-modified RNAs not only are applied in RNA silencing machinery but also act as research tools for studying RNA structure and function or for developing RNA-based diagnostics. Therefore, the efficient synthesis, deprotection, purification, and characterization of 2'-O-cyanoethylated RNAs deserves more attention. This protocol describes the chemical synthesis of 2'-O-cyanoethylated nucleotides and the solid-phase synthesis, deprotection, and purification of 2'-O-cyanoethylated RNAs. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Preparation of 6-N-dimethylformamidyl-5'-O-dimethoxytrityl-2'-O-cyanoethyl adenosine 3'-(2-cyanoethyl N,N-diisopropyl)phosphoramidite Basic Protocol 2: Preparation of 4-N-acetyl-5'-O-dimethoxytrityl-2'-O-cyanoethyl cytidine 3'-(2-cyanoethyl N,N-diisopropyl)phosphoramidite Basic Protocol 3: Preparation of 2-N-dimethylformamidyl-5'-O-dimethoxytrityl-2'-O-cyanoethyl guanine 3'-(2-cyanoethyl N,N-diisopropyl)phosphoramidite Basic Protocol 4: Preparation of 5'-O-dimethoxytrityl-2'-O-2-cyanoethyl uridine 3'-(2-cyanoethyl N,N-diisopropyl)phosphoramidite Basic Protocol 5: Solid-phase synthesis of 2'-O-cyanoethylated RNA analogs Basic Protocol 6: Deprotection and purification of synthesized 2'-O-cyanoethyl-RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Chen
- Sirnaomics Ltd. Suzhou, Suzhou, China
| | - Long Xie
- Sirnaomics Ltd. Suzhou, Suzhou, China
| | | | - Shen Tian
- Sirnaomics Ltd. Suzhou, Suzhou, China
| | - Zeyu Tang
- Sirnaomics Ltd. Suzhou, Suzhou, China
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7
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Matsuda S, Bala S, Liao JY, Datta D, Mikami A, Woods L, Harp JM, Gilbert JA, Bisbe A, Manoharan RM, Kim M, Theile CS, Guenther DC, Jiang Y, Agarwal S, Maganti R, Schlegel MK, Zlatev I, Charisse K, Rajeev KG, Castoreno A, Maier M, Janas MM, Egli M, Chaput JC, Manoharan M. Shorter Is Better: The α-(l)-Threofuranosyl Nucleic Acid Modification Improves Stability, Potency, Safety, and Ago2 Binding and Mitigates Off-Target Effects of Small Interfering RNAs. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:19691-19706. [PMID: 37638886 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c04744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Chemical modifications are necessary to ensure the metabolic stability and efficacy of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics. Here, we describe analyses of the α-(l)-threofuranosyl nucleic acid (TNA) modification, which has a shorter 3'-2' internucleotide linkage than the natural DNA and RNA, in the context of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). The TNA modification enhanced nuclease resistance more than 2'-O-methyl or 2'-fluoro ribose modifications. TNA-containing siRNAs were prepared as triantennary N-acetylgalactosamine conjugates and were tested in cultured cells and mice. With the exceptions of position 2 of the antisense strand and position 11 of the sense strand, the TNA modification did not inhibit the activity of the RNA interference machinery. In a rat toxicology study, TNA placed at position 7 of the antisense strand of the siRNA mitigated off-target effects, likely due to the decrease in the thermodynamic binding affinity relative to the 2'-O-methyl residue. Analysis of the crystal structure of an RNA octamer with a single TNA on each strand showed that the tetrose sugar adopts a C4'-exo pucker. Computational models of siRNA antisense strands containing TNA bound to Argonaute 2 suggest that TNA is well accommodated in the region kinked by the enzyme. The combined data indicate that the TNA nucleotides are promising modifications expected to increase the potency, duration of action, and safety of siRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeo Matsuda
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Saikat Bala
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-3958, United States
| | - Jen-Yu Liao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-3958, United States
| | - Dhrubajyoti Datta
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Atsushi Mikami
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Lauren Woods
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Joel M Harp
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - Jason A Gilbert
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Anna Bisbe
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Rajar M Manoharan
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - MaryBeth Kim
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Christopher S Theile
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Dale C Guenther
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Yongfeng Jiang
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Saket Agarwal
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Rajanikanth Maganti
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Mark K Schlegel
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Ivan Zlatev
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Klaus Charisse
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | | | - Adam Castoreno
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Martin Maier
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Maja M Janas
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Martin Egli
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, United States
| | - John C Chaput
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-3958, United States
| | - Muthiah Manoharan
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
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8
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Rodgers MT, Seidu YS, Israel E. Influence of 2'-Modifications (O-Methylation, Fluorination, and Stereochemical Inversion) on the Base Pairing Energies of Protonated Cytidine Nucleoside Analogue Base Pairs: Implications for the Stabilities of i-Motif Structures. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2023. [PMID: 37294839 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.3c00108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Naturally occurring and chemically engineered modifications are among the most powerful strategies explored for fine-tuning the conformational characteristics and intrinsic stability of nucleic acids topologies. Modifications at the 2'-position of the ribose or 2'-deoxyribose moieties differentiate nucleic acid structures and have a significant impact on their electronic properties and base-pairing interactions. 2'-O-Methylation, a common post-transcriptional modification of tRNA, is directly involved in modulating specific anticodon-codon base-pairing interactions. 2'-Fluorinated and arabino nucleosides possess novel and beneficial medicinal properties and find use as therapeutics for treating viral diseases and cancer. However, the potential to deploy 2'-modified cytidine chemistries for tuning i-motif stability is largely unknown. To address this knowledge gap, the effects of 2'-modifications including O-methylation, fluorination, and stereochemical inversion on the base-pairing interactions of protonated cytidine nucleoside analogue base pairs, the core stabilizing interactions of i-motif structures, are examined using complementary threshold collision-induced dissociation techniques and computational methods. The 2'-modified cytidine nucleoside analogues investigated here include 2'-O-methylcytidine, 2'-fluoro-2'-deoxycytidine, arabinofuranosylcytosine, 2'-fluoro-arabinofuranosylcytosine, and 2',2'-difluoro-2'-deoxycytidine. All five 2'-modifications examined here are found to enhance the base-pairing interactions relative to the canonical DNA and RNA cytidine nucleosides with the greatest enhancements arising from 2'-O-methylation and 2',2'-difluorination, suggesting that these modifications should well be tolerated in the narrow grooves of i-motif conformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- M T Rodgers
- Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, United States
| | - Yakubu S Seidu
- Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, United States
| | - E Israel
- Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, United States
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9
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Sato H, Chandela A, Ueno Y. Synthesis and characterization of novel (S)-5'-C-aminopropyl-2'-fluorouridine modified oligonucleotides as therapeutic siRNAs. Bioorg Med Chem 2023; 87:117317. [PMID: 37196425 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The lack of stability of natural nucleosides limits their application in small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated RNA interference (RNAi). Various chemical modifications have been reported to improve their pharmacokinetic behavior; however, the development of potential candidates is still underway. In this study, we designed and synthesized (S)-5'-C-aminopropyl-2'-fluorouridine (5'-AP-2'-FU) and evaluated the properties of siRNAs containing this analog. A comparative thermodynamic study revealed the enhanced thermal stability of double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) containing 5'-AP-2'-FU in a position-specific manner, whereas (S)-5'-C-aminopropyl-2'-O-methyluridine (5'-AP-2'-MoU)-modified dsRNAs exhibited lower melting temperatures. This improved thermal stability of RNA duplexes is attributed to favorable entropy loss, which induces the duplex into an N-type (C3'-endo) conformation and enhances duplex binding in this case. The 5'-AP-2'-FU analog was also suitable for incorporation into the passenger strand to induce gene-silencing activity. Gene knockdown efficacy was comparable to that of unmodified siRNAs, and the best response was observed by introducing 5'-AP-2'-FU near the 3'-terminal end of the passenger strand. In addition, the single-stranded RNAs (ssRNAs) modified with 5'-AP-2'-FU showed strong resistance against decomposition by nucleases when treated with buffer containing bovine serum, which was similar to 5'-AP-2'-MoU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hitotaka Sato
- United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Gifu University, Japan
| | - Akash Chandela
- Course of Applied Life Science, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Japan
| | - Yoshihito Ueno
- Department of Life Science and Chemistry, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Gifu University, Japan; Course of Applied Life Science, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Japan; United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Gifu University, Japan; Center for One Medicine Innovative Translational Research (COMIT), Gifu University Institute for Advanced Study, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193, Japan.
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10
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Li S, Li X, Wan YJ, Ying YL, Yu RJ, Long YT. SmartImage: A Machine Learning Method for Nanopore Identifying Chemical Modifications on RNA. Chem Asian J 2023; 18:e202201144. [PMID: 36527379 DOI: 10.1002/asia.202201144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
RNA modifications modulate essential cellular functions. However, it is challenging to quantitatively identify the differences in RNA modifications. To further improve the single-molecule sensing ability of nanopores, we propose a machine-learning algorithm called SmartImage for identifying and classifying nanopore electrochemical signals based on a combination of improved graph conversion methods and deep neural networks. SmartImage is effective for nearly all ranges of signal duration, which breaks the limitation of the current nanopore algorithm. The overall accuracy (OA) of our proposed recognition strategy exceeded 90% for identifying three types of RNAs. Prediction experiments show that the SmartImage owns the ability to recognize one modified RNA molecule from 1000 normal RNAs with OA >90%. Thus our proposed model and algorithm hold the potential application in clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shijia Li
- School of Information Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, 200237, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Xinyi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, 210023, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Yong-Jing Wan
- School of Information Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, 200237, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Yi-Lun Ying
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, 210023, Nanjing, P. R. China.,Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, 210023, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Ru-Jia Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, 210023, Nanjing, P. R. China.,Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, 210023, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Yi-Tao Long
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, 210023, Nanjing, P. R. China
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11
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Todoran R, Falcione SR, Clarke M, Joy T, Boghozian R, Jickling GC. microRNA as a therapeutic for ischemic stroke. Neurochem Int 2023; 163:105487. [PMID: 36657721 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2023.105487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
microRNA (miRNA) are important regulators of gene expression. miRNA have the potential as a treatment to modulate genes, pathways and cells involved in ischemic stroke. In this review, we specifically present miRNA in stroke as a treatment to decrease thrombosis, reduce blood brain barrier (BBB) disruption and hemorrhagic transformation (HT), modulate inflammation, and modify angiogenesis. miRNA as a treatment for stroke is an emerging area with evidence from animal studies demonstrating its potential. While no miRNA is currently approved for human use, several have shown promise in clinical trials to treat medical conditions, such as miR-122 for hepatitis C. The role of miRNA as a treatment for specific applications in ischemic stroke is presented including a discussion of the benefits and barriers of miRNA as a treatment, and directions for future advancement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raluca Todoran
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Sarina R Falcione
- Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Michael Clarke
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Twinkle Joy
- Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Roobina Boghozian
- Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Glen C Jickling
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
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12
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Lee SH, Ng CX, Wong SR, Chong PP. MiRNAs Overexpression and Their Role in Breast Cancer: Implications for Cancer Therapeutics. Curr Drug Targets 2023; 24:484-508. [PMID: 36999414 DOI: 10.2174/1389450124666230329123409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs have a plethora of roles in various biological processes in the cells and most human cancers have been shown to be associated with dysregulation of the expression of miRNA genes. MiRNA biogenesis involves two alternative pathways, the canonical pathway which requires the successful cooperation of various proteins forming the miRNA-inducing silencing complex (miRISC), and the non-canonical pathway, such as the mirtrons, simtrons, or agotrons pathway, which bypasses and deviates from specific steps in the canonical pathway. Mature miRNAs are secreted from cells and circulated in the body bound to argonaute 2 (AGO2) and miRISC or transported in vesicles. These miRNAs may regulate their downstream target genes via positive or negative regulation through different molecular mechanisms. This review focuses on the role and mechanisms of miRNAs in different stages of breast cancer progression, including breast cancer stem cell formation, breast cancer initiation, invasion, and metastasis as well as angiogenesis. The design, chemical modifications, and therapeutic applications of synthetic anti-sense miRNA oligonucleotides and RNA mimics are also discussed in detail. The strategies for systemic delivery and local targeted delivery of the antisense miRNAs encompass the use of polymeric and liposomal nanoparticles, inorganic nanoparticles, extracellular vesicles, as well as viral vectors and viruslike particles (VLPs). Although several miRNAs have been identified as good candidates for the design of antisense and other synthetic modified oligonucleotides in targeting breast cancer, further efforts are still needed to study the most optimal delivery method in order to drive the research beyond preclinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sau Har Lee
- School of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Taylor's University, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
- Centre for Drug Discovery and Molecular Pharmacology (CDDMP), Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Taylor's University, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Chu Xin Ng
- School of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Taylor's University, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Sharon Rachel Wong
- School of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Taylor's University, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Pei Pei Chong
- School of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Taylor's University, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
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13
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Xia H, Yu B, Jiang Y, Cheng R, Lu X, Wu H, Zhu B. Psychrophilic phage VSW-3 RNA polymerase reduces both terminal and full-length dsRNA byproducts in in vitro transcription. RNA Biol 2022; 19:1130-1142. [DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2022.2139113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Heng Xia
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Bingbing Yu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yixin Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Rui Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xueling Lu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Hui Wu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Bin Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Shenzhen Huazhong University of Science and Technology Research Institute, Shenzhen, China
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14
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Das G, Harikrishna S, Gore KR. Influence of Sugar Modifications on the Nucleoside Conformation and Oligonucleotide Stability: A Critical Review. CHEM REC 2022; 22:e202200174. [PMID: 36048010 DOI: 10.1002/tcr.202200174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Ribofuranose sugar conformation plays an important role in the structure and dynamics of functional nucleic acids such as siRNAs, AONs, aptamers, miRNAs, etc. To improve their therapeutic potential, several chemical modifications have been introduced into the sugar moiety over the years. The stability of the oligonucleotide duplexes as well as the formation of stable and functional protein-oligonucleotide complexes are dictated by the conformation and dynamics of the sugar moiety. In this review, we systematically categorise various ribofuranose sugar modifications employed in DNAs and RNAs so far. We discuss different stereoelectronic effects imparted by different substituents on the sugar ring and how these effects control sugar puckering. Using this data, it would be possible to predict the precise use of chemical modifications and design novel sugar-modified nucleosides for therapeutic oligonucleotides that can improve their physicochemical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gourav Das
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal-721302, India
| | - S Harikrishna
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Kiran R Gore
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal-721302, India
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15
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Rietmeyer L, Li De La Sierra-Gallay I, Schepers G, Dorchêne D, Iannazzo L, Patin D, Touzé T, van Tilbeurgh H, Herdewijn P, Ethève-Quelquejeu M, Fonvielle M. Amino-acyl tXNA as inhibitors or amino acid donors in peptide synthesis. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:11415-11425. [PMID: 36350642 PMCID: PMC9723616 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Xenobiotic nucleic acids (XNAs) offer tremendous potential for synthetic biology, biotechnology, and molecular medicine but their ability to mimic nucleic acids still needs to be explored. Here, to study the ability of XNA oligonucleotides to mimic tRNA, we synthesized three L-Ala-tXNAs analogs. These molecules were used in a non-ribosomal peptide synthesis involving a bacterial Fem transferase. We compared the ability of this enzyme to use amino-acyl tXNAs containing 1',5'-anhydrohexitol (HNA), 2'-fluoro ribose (2'F-RNA) and 2'-fluoro arabinose. L-Ala-tXNA containing HNA or 2'F-RNA were substrates of the Fem enzyme. The synthesis of peptidyl-XNA and the resolution of their structures in complex with the enzyme show the impact of the XNA on protein binding. For the first time we describe functional tXNA in an in vitro assay. These results invite to test tXNA also as substitute for tRNA in translation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Guy Schepers
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Rega Institute for Biomedical Research, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, Box 1041, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Delphine Dorchêne
- INSERM UMR-S 1138, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité, F-75006 Paris, France
| | - Laura Iannazzo
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8601, Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques, F-75006Paris, France
| | - Delphine Patin
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Thierry Touzé
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Herman van Tilbeurgh
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Piet Herdewijn
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Rega Institute for Biomedical Research, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, Box 1041, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mélanie Ethève-Quelquejeu
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8601, Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques, F-75006Paris, France
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16
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Conroy F, Miller R, Alterman JF, Hassler MR, Echeverria D, Godinho BMDC, Knox EG, Sapp E, Sousa J, Yamada K, Mahmood F, Boudi A, Kegel-Gleason K, DiFiglia M, Aronin N, Khvorova A, Pfister EL. Chemical engineering of therapeutic siRNAs for allele-specific gene silencing in Huntington's disease models. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5802. [PMID: 36192390 PMCID: PMC9530163 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33061-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Small interfering RNAs are a new class of drugs, exhibiting sequence-driven, potent, and sustained silencing of gene expression in vivo. We recently demonstrated that siRNA chemical architectures can be optimized to provide efficient delivery to the CNS, enabling development of CNS-targeted therapeutics. Many genetically-defined neurodegenerative disorders are dominant, favoring selective silencing of the mutant allele. In some cases, successfully targeting the mutant allele requires targeting single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) heterozygosities. Here, we use Huntington’s disease (HD) as a model. The optimized compound exhibits selective silencing of mutant huntingtin protein in patient-derived cells and throughout the HD mouse brain, demonstrating SNP-based allele-specific RNAi silencing of gene expression in vivo in the CNS. Targeting a disease-causing allele using RNAi-based therapies could be helpful in a range of dominant CNS disorders where maintaining wild-type expression is essential. Chemically modified siRNAs distinguish between mutant and normal huntingtin based on a single nucleotide difference and lower mutant huntingtin specifically in patient derived cells and in a mouse model of Huntington’s disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faith Conroy
- Department of Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Rachael Miller
- Department of Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Julia F Alterman
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Matthew R Hassler
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Dimas Echeverria
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Bruno M D C Godinho
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Emily G Knox
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Ellen Sapp
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Jaquelyn Sousa
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Ken Yamada
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Farah Mahmood
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Adel Boudi
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Kimberly Kegel-Gleason
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Marian DiFiglia
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Neil Aronin
- Department of Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.,RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Anastasia Khvorova
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
| | - Edith L Pfister
- Department of Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
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17
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Guenther DC, Mori S, Matsuda S, Gilbert JA, Willoughby JLS, Hyde S, Bisbe A, Jiang Y, Agarwal S, Madaoui M, Janas MM, Charisse K, Maier MA, Egli M, Manoharan M. Role of a "Magic" Methyl: 2'-Deoxy-2'-α-F-2'-β- C-methyl Pyrimidine Nucleotides Modulate RNA Interference Activity through Synergy with 5'-Phosphate Mimics and Mitigation of Off-Target Effects. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:14517-14534. [PMID: 35921401 PMCID: PMC9389587 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c01679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Although 2′-deoxy-2′-α-F-2′-β-C-methyl (2′-F/Me) uridine nucleoside derivatives
are a successful class of antiviral drugs, this modification had not
been studied in oligonucleotides. Herein, we demonstrate the facile
synthesis of 2′-F/Me-modified pyrimidine phosphoramidites and
their subsequent incorporation into oligonucleotides. Despite the
C3′-endo preorganization of the parent nucleoside,
a single incorporation into RNA or DNA resulted in significant thermal
destabilization of a duplex due to unfavorable enthalpy, likely resulting
from steric effects. When located at the terminus of an oligonucleotide,
the 2′-F/Me modification imparted more resistance to degradation
than the corresponding 2′-fluoro nucleotides. Small interfering
RNAs (siRNAs) modified at certain positions with 2′-F/Me had
similar or better silencing activity than the parent siRNAs when delivered
via a lipid nanoparticle formulation or as a triantennary N-acetylgalactosamine conjugate in cells and in mice. Modification
in the seed region of the antisense strand at position 6 or 7 resulted
in an activity equivalent to the parent in mice. Additionally, placement
of the antisense strand at position 7 mitigated seed-based off-target
effects in cell-based assays. When the 2′-F/Me modification
was combined with 5′-vinyl phosphonate, both E and Z isomers had silencing activity comparable
to the parent. In combination with other 2′-modifications such
as 2′-O-methyl, the Z isomer
is detrimental to silencing activity. Presumably, the equivalence
of 5′-vinyl phosphonate isomers in the context of 2′-F/Me
is driven by the steric and conformational features of the C-methyl-containing sugar ring. These data indicate that
2′-F/Me nucleotides are promising tools for nucleic acid-based
therapeutic applications to increase potency, duration, and safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dale C Guenther
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Shohei Mori
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Shigeo Matsuda
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Jason A Gilbert
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | | | - Sarah Hyde
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Anna Bisbe
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Yongfeng Jiang
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Saket Agarwal
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Mimouna Madaoui
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Maja M Janas
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Klaus Charisse
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Martin A Maier
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Martin Egli
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Muthiah Manoharan
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
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18
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Kim D, Han S, Ji Y, Moon S, Nam H, Lee JB. Multimeric RNAs for efficient RNA-based therapeutics and vaccines. J Control Release 2022; 345:770-785. [PMID: 35367477 PMCID: PMC8970614 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.03.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
There has been a growing interest in RNA therapeutics globally, and much progress has been made in this area, which has been further accelerated by the clinical applications of RNA-based vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Following these successful clinical trials, various technologies have been developed to improve the efficacy of RNA-based drugs. Multimerization of RNA therapeutics is one of the most attractive approaches to ensure high stability, high efficacy, and prolonged action of RNA-based drugs. In this review, we offer an overview of the representative approaches for generating repetitive functional RNAs by chemical conjugation, structural self-assembly, enzymatic elongation, and self-amplification. The therapeutic and vaccine applications of engineered multimeric RNAs in various diseases have also been summarized. By outlining the current status of multimeric RNAs, the potential of multimeric RNA as a promising treatment strategy is highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dajeong Kim
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Seoul, 163 Seoulsiripdaero, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sangwoo Han
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Seoul, 163 Seoulsiripdaero, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Yoonbin Ji
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Seoul, 163 Seoulsiripdaero, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sunghyun Moon
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Seoul, 163 Seoulsiripdaero, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hyangsu Nam
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Seoul, 163 Seoulsiripdaero, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jong Bum Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Seoul, 163 Seoulsiripdaero, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
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19
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Pal S, Chandra G, Patel S, Singh S. Fluorinated Nucleosides: Synthesis, Modulation in Conformation and Therapeutic Application. CHEM REC 2022; 22:e202100335. [PMID: 35253973 DOI: 10.1002/tcr.202100335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Over the last twenty years, fluorination on nucleoside has established itself as the most promising tool to use to get biologically active compounds that could sustain the clinical trial by affecting the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic properties. Due to fluorine's inherent unique properties and its judicious introduction into the molecule, makes the corresponding nucleoside metabolically very stable, lipophilic, and opens a new site of intermolecular binding. Fluorination on various nucleosides has been extensively studied as a result, a series of fluorinated nucleosides come up for different therapeutic uses which are either approved by the FDA or under the advanced stage of the clinical trial. Here in this review, we are summarizing the latest development in the chemistry of fluorination on nucleoside that led to varieties of new analogs like carbocyclic, acyclic, and conformationally biased nucleoside and their biological properties, the influence of fluorine on conformation, oligonucleotide stability, and their use in therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shantanu Pal
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar Argul, Odisha, India, 752050
| | - Girish Chandra
- Department of Chemistry, School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Central University of South Bihar, SH-7, Gaya Panchanpur Road, Gaya, Bihar, India, 824236
| | - Samridhi Patel
- Department of Chemistry, School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Central University of South Bihar, SH-7, Gaya Panchanpur Road, Gaya, Bihar, India, 824236
| | - Sakshi Singh
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar Argul, Odisha, India, 752050
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20
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Zhu G, Song P, Wu J, Luo M, Chen Z, Chen T. Application of Nucleic Acid Frameworks in the Construction of Nanostructures and Cascade Biocatalysts: Recent Progress and Perspective. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 9:792489. [PMID: 35071205 PMCID: PMC8777461 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.792489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleic acids underlie the storage and retrieval of genetic information literally in all living organisms, and also provide us excellent materials for making artificial nanostructures and scaffolds for constructing multi-enzyme systems with outstanding performance in catalyzing various cascade reactions, due to their highly diverse and yet controllable structures, which are well determined by their sequences. The introduction of unnatural moieties into nucleic acids dramatically increased the diversity of sequences, structures, and properties of the nucleic acids, which undoubtedly expanded the toolbox for making nanomaterials and scaffolds of multi-enzyme systems. In this article, we first introduce the molecular structures and properties of nucleic acids and their unnatural derivatives. Then we summarized representative artificial nanomaterials made of nucleic acids, as well as their properties, functions, and application. We next review recent progress on constructing multi-enzyme systems with nucleic acid structures as scaffolds for cascade biocatalyst. Finally, we discuss the future direction of applying nucleic acid frameworks in the construction of nanomaterials and multi-enzyme molecular machines, with the potential contribution that unnatural nucleic acids may make to this field highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gan Zhu
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ping Song
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jing Wu
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Minglan Luo
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhipeng Chen
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tingjian Chen
- MOE International Joint Research Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Medicines, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
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21
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Ojha AK, Rajasekaran R, Pandey AK, Dutta A, Seesala VS, Das SK, Chaudhury K, Dhara S. Nanotheranostics: Nanoparticles Applications, Perspectives, and Challenges. BIOSENSING, THERANOSTICS, AND MEDICAL DEVICES 2022:345-376. [DOI: 10.1007/978-981-16-2782-8_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/19/2023]
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22
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In silico structural analysis of truncated 2’ fluoro-RNA aptamer: Elucidating EGF-1 and EGF-2 binding domains on factor IX protein. Process Biochem 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2021.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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23
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Zhou Y, Lu K, Li Q, Fan C, Zhou C. C4'-Fluorinated Oligodeoxynucleotides: Synthesis, Stability, Structural Studies. Chemistry 2021; 27:14738-14746. [PMID: 34432342 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202102561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Fluoro-substitution on the ribose moiety (e. g., 2'-F-deoxyribonucleotide) represents a popular way to modulate the ribose conformation and, hence, the structure and function of nucleic acids. In the present study, we synthesized 4'-F-deoxythymidine (4'-F T) and introduced it to oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ODNs). Though scission of the glycosylic bond of 4'-F T followed by strand cleavage occurred to some extent under alkaline conditions, the 4'-F T-modified ODNs were rather stable in neutral buffers. NMR studies showed that like 2'-F-deoxyribonucleoside, 4'-F T exists predominantly in the North conformation not only in the nucleoside form but also in the context of ODN strands. Circular dichroism spectroscopy, thermal denaturing and RNase H1 footprinting studies of 4'-F T-modified ODN/cDNA and ODN/cRNA duplexes indicated that the North conformation tendency of 4'-F T is maintained in the duplexes, leading to a local structural perturbation. Collectively, 4'-F-deoxyribonucleotide structurally resembles the 2'-F-deoxyribonucleotide but imparts less structural perturbation to the duplex than the latter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, and Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Kuan Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, and Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Qiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, and Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Chaochao Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, and Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Chuanzheng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, and Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
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24
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Dantsu Y, Zhang Y, Zhang W. Synthesis of 2′‐Deoxy‐2′‐fluoro‐
L
‐cytidine and Fluorinated
L
‐Nucleic Acids for Structural Studies. ChemistrySelect 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.202103202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuliya Dantsu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Indiana University School of Medicine 635 Barnhill Drive Indianapolis IN 46202 USA
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Indiana University School of Medicine 635 Barnhill Drive Indianapolis IN 46202 USA
| | - Wen Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Indiana University School of Medicine 635 Barnhill Drive Indianapolis IN 46202 USA
- Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center 535 Barnhill Dr Indianapolis IN 46202 USA
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25
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Kopylov AM, Fab LV, Antipova O, Savchenko EA, Revishchin AV, Parshina VV, Pavlova SV, Kireev II, Golovin AV, Usachev DY, Pavlova GV. RNA Aptamers for Theranostics of Glioblastoma of Human Brain. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2021; 86:1012-1024. [PMID: 34488577 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297921080113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Conventional approaches for studying and molecular typing of tumors include PCR, blotting, omics, immunocytochemistry, and immunohistochemistry. The last two methods are the most used, as they enable detecting both tumor protein markers and their localizations within the cells. In this study, we have investigated a possibility of using RNA aptamers, in particular, 2'-F-pyrimidyl-RNA aptamer ME07 (48 nucleotides long), specific to the receptor of epidermal growth factor (EGFR, ErbB1, Her1), as an alternative to monoclonal antibodies for aptacytochemistry and aptahistochemistry for human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). A specificity of binding of FAM-ME07 to the receptor on the tumor cells has been demonstrated by flow cytometry; an apparent dissociation constant for the complex of aptamer - EGFR on the cell has been determined; a number of EGFR molecules has been semi-quantitatively estimated for the tumor cell lines having different amount of EGFR: A431 (106 copies per cell), U87 (104 copies per cell), MCF7 (103 copies per cell), and ROZH, primary GBM cell culture derived from patient (104 copies per cell). According to fluorescence microscopy, FAM-ME07 interacts directly with the receptors on A431 cells, followed by its internalization into the cytoplasm and translocation to the nucleolus; this finding opens a possibility of ME07 application as an escort aptamer for a delivery of therapeutic agents into tumor cells. FAM-ME07 efficiently stains sections of GBM clinical specimens, which enables an identification of EGFR-positive clones within a heterogeneous tumor; and providing a potential for further studying animal models of GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey M Kopylov
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
| | - Lika V Fab
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117485, Russia
| | - Olga Antipova
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Ekaterina A Savchenko
- Burdenko National Medical Research Center of Neurosurgery, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, 125047, Russia
| | - Alexander V Revishchin
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117485, Russia
| | - Viktoriya V Parshina
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117485, Russia
| | - Svetlana V Pavlova
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117485, Russia
| | - Igor I Kireev
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Andrey V Golovin
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia.,Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Dmitry Y Usachev
- Burdenko National Medical Research Center of Neurosurgery, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, 125047, Russia
| | - Galina V Pavlova
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117485, Russia.,Burdenko National Medical Research Center of Neurosurgery, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, 125047, Russia.,Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
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26
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Hammill ML, Salim L, Tsubaki K, Varley AJ, Kitamura M, Okauchi T, Desaulniers JP. Building siRNAs with Cubes: Synthesis and Evaluation of Cubane-Modified siRNAs. Chembiochem 2021; 22:2981-2985. [PMID: 34319643 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Cubane molecules hold great potential for medicinal chemistry applications due to their inherent stability and low toxicity. In this study, we report the synthesis of a cubane derivative phosphoramidite for the incorporation of cubane into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Synthetic siRNAs rely on chemical modifications to improve their pharmacokinetic profiles. However, they are still able to mediate sequence-specific gene silencing via the endogenous RNA interference pathway. We designed a library of siRNAs bearing cubane at different positions within the sense and antisense strands. All siRNAs showed excellent gene-silencing activity, with IC50 values ranging from 45.4 to 305 pM. Incorporating the cubane modification in both the sense and antisense strand led to viable duplexes with good biological activity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of siRNAs bearing a cubane derivative within the backbone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew L Hammill
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario, L1G 0C5, Canada
| | - Lidya Salim
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario, L1G 0C5, Canada
| | - Kouta Tsubaki
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario, L1G 0C5, Canada.,Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 1-1 Sensui-cho, Tobata, Kitakyushu, 804-8550, Japan
| | - Andrew J Varley
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario, L1G 0C5, Canada
| | - Mitsuru Kitamura
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 1-1 Sensui-cho, Tobata, Kitakyushu, 804-8550, Japan
| | - Tatsuo Okauchi
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 1-1 Sensui-cho, Tobata, Kitakyushu, 804-8550, Japan
| | - Jean-Paul Desaulniers
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario, L1G 0C5, Canada
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27
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Dantsu Y, Zhang Y, Zhang W. Synthesis and Structural Characterization of 2'-Deoxy-2'-fluoro-l-uridine Nucleic Acids. Org Lett 2021; 23:5007-5011. [PMID: 34142829 DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.1c01498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Despite the development of artificial l-RNA/DNA as therapeutic molecules, the in-depth investigation on their chemical modifications is still limited. Here, we synthesize a chemically derivatized 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-l-uridine building block and incorporate it into oligonucleotides. Our thermo-denaturization and enzymatic digestion experiments reveal their superior stability. Furthermore, one crystal structure of l-type fluoro-DNA is determined to characterize its handedness. Our results reveal the increase of l-helix stability by fluoro-modification and provide the foundation for its future functional application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliya Dantsu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
| | - Wen Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
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28
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Zhang M, Hamblin MH, Yin KJ. Long non-coding RNAs mediate cerebral vascular pathologies after CNS injuries. Neurochem Int 2021; 148:105102. [PMID: 34153353 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2021.105102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Central nervous system (CNS) injuries are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, accompanied with high medical costs and a decreased quality of life. Brain vascular disorders are involved in the pathological processes of CNS injuries and might play key roles for their recovery and prognosis. Recently, increasing evidence has shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which comprise a very heterogeneous group of non-protein-coding RNAs greater than 200 nucleotides, have emerged as functional mediators in the regulation of vascular homeostasis under pathophysiological conditions. Remarkably, lncRNAs can regulate gene transcription and translation, thus interfering with gene expression and signaling pathways by different mechanisms. Hence, a deeper insight into the function and regulatory mechanisms of lncRNAs following CNS injury, especially cerebrovascular-related lncRNAs, could help in establishing potential therapeutic strategies to improve or inhibit neurological disorders. In this review, we highlight recent advancements in understanding of the role of lncRNAs and their application in mediating cerebrovascular pathologies after CNS injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengqi Zhang
- Pittsburgh Institute of Brain Disorders & Recovery, Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Milton H Hamblin
- Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue SL-83, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA
| | - Ke-Jie Yin
- Pittsburgh Institute of Brain Disorders & Recovery, Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA; Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA.
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29
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Mattelaer CA, Mattelaer HP, Rihon J, Froeyen M, Lescrinier E. Efficient and Accurate Potential Energy Surfaces of Puckering in Sugar-Modified Nucleosides. J Chem Theory Comput 2021; 17:3814-3823. [PMID: 34000809 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.1c00270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Puckering of the sugar unit in nucleosides and nucleotides is an important structural aspect that directly influences the helical structure of nucleic acids. The preference for specific puckering modes in nucleic acids can be analyzed via in silico conformational analysis, but the large amount of conformations and the accuracy of the analysis leads to an extensive amount of computational time. In this paper, we show that the combination of geometry optimizations with the HF-3c method with single point energies at the RI-MP2 level results in accurate results for the puckering potential energy surface (PES) of DNA and RNA nucleosides while significantly reducing the necessary computational time. Applying this method to a series of known xeno nucleic acids (XNAs) allowed us to rapidly explore the puckering PES of each of the respective nucleosides and to explore the puckering PES of six-membered modified XNA (HNA and β-homo-DNA) for the first time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles-Alexandre Mattelaer
- KU Leuven, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Medicinal Chemistry, Herestraat 49 - Box 1041, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Henri-Philippe Mattelaer
- Campus Drie Eiken, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, UAntwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Jérôme Rihon
- KU Leuven, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Medicinal Chemistry, Herestraat 49 - Box 1041, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Matheus Froeyen
- KU Leuven, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Medicinal Chemistry, Herestraat 49 - Box 1041, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Eveline Lescrinier
- KU Leuven, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Medicinal Chemistry, Herestraat 49 - Box 1041, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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30
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Cabrero C, Martín-Pintado N, Mazzini S, Gargallo R, Eritja R, Aviñó A, González C. Structural Effects of Incorporation of 2'-Deoxy-2'2'-Difluorodeoxycytidine (Gemcitabine) in A- and B-Form Duplexes. Chemistry 2021; 27:7351-7355. [PMID: 33772916 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202100503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
We report the structural effect of 2'-deoxy-2',2'-difluorocytidine (dFdC) insertions in the DNA strand of a DNA : RNA hybrid duplex and in a self-complementary DNA : DNA duplex. In both cases, the modification slightly destabilizes the duplex and provokes minor local distortions that are more pronounced in the case of the DNA : RNA hybrid. Analysis of the solution structures determined by NMR methods show that dFdC is an adaptable derivative that adopts North type sugar conformation when inserted in pure DNA, or a South sugar conformation in the context of DNA : RNA hybrids. In this latter context, South sugar pucker favors the formation of a 2'F⋅⋅H8 attractive interaction with a neighboring purine, which compensates the destabilizing effect of base pair distortions. These interactions share some features with pseudohydrogen bonds described previously in other nucleic acids structures with fluorine modified sugars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Cabrero
- Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano, CSIC, Serrano, 119, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nerea Martín-Pintado
- Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano, CSIC, Serrano, 119, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Stefania Mazzini
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DEFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Raimundo Gargallo
- Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Marti i Franquès 1, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.,BIOESTRAN associated unit UB-CSIC, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ramon Eritja
- Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) CIBER-BBN, Jordi, Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Aviñó
- Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) CIBER-BBN, Jordi, Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carlos González
- Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano, CSIC, Serrano, 119, 28006, Madrid, Spain.,BIOESTRAN associated unit UB-CSIC, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
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31
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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: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [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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32
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Akabane-Nakata M, Erande ND, Kumar P, Degaonkar R, Gilbert JA, Qin J, Mendez M, Woods LB, Jiang Y, Janas M, O’Flaherty DK, Zlatev I, Schlegel M, Matsuda S, Egli M, Manoharan M. siRNAs containing 2'-fluorinated Northern-methanocarbacyclic (2'-F-NMC) nucleotides: in vitro and in vivo RNAi activity and inability of mitochondrial polymerases to incorporate 2'-F-NMC NTPs. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:2435-2449. [PMID: 33577685 PMCID: PMC7969009 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
We recently reported the synthesis of 2'-fluorinated Northern-methanocarbacyclic (2'-F-NMC) nucleotides, which are based on a bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane scaffold. Here, we analyzed RNAi-mediated gene silencing activity in cell culture and demonstrated that a single incorporation of 2'-F-NMC within the guide or passenger strand of the tri-N-acetylgalactosamine-conjugated siRNA targeting mouse Ttr was generally well tolerated. Exceptions were incorporation of 2'-F-NMC into the guide strand at positions 1 and 2, which resulted in a loss of the in vitro activity. Activity at position 1 was recovered when the guide strand was modified with a 5' phosphate, suggesting that the 2'-F-NMC is a poor substrate for 5' kinases. In mice, the 2'-F-NMC-modified siRNAs had comparable RNAi potencies to the parent siRNA. 2'-F-NMC residues in the guide seed region position 7 and at positions 10, 11 and 12 were well tolerated. Surprisingly, when the 5'-phosphate mimic 5'-(E)-vinylphosphonate was attached to the 2'-F-NMC at the position 1 of the guide strand, activity was considerably reduced. The steric constraints of the bicyclic 2'-F-NMC may impair formation of hydrogen-bonding interactions between the vinylphosphonate and the MID domain of Ago2. Molecular modeling studies explain the position- and conformation-dependent RNAi-mediated gene silencing activity of 2'-F-NMC. Finally, the 5'-triphosphate of 2'-F-NMC is not a substrate for mitochondrial RNA and DNA polymerases, indicating that metabolites should not be toxic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Namrata D Erande
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Pawan Kumar
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Rohan Degaonkar
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Jason A Gilbert
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - June Qin
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Martha Mendez
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Lauren Blair Woods
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Yongfeng Jiang
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Maja M Janas
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Derek K O’Flaherty
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Ivan Zlatev
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Mark K Schlegel
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Shigeo Matsuda
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Martin Egli
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Muthiah Manoharan
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
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33
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Alenaizan A, Barnett JL, Hud NV, Sherrill CD, Petrov AS. The proto-Nucleic Acid Builder: a software tool for constructing nucleic acid analogs. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:79-89. [PMID: 33300028 PMCID: PMC7797056 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa1159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The helical structures of DNA and RNA were originally revealed by experimental data. Likewise, the development of programs for modeling these natural polymers was guided by known structures. These nucleic acid polymers represent only two members of a potentially vast class of polymers with similar structural features, but that differ from DNA and RNA in the backbone or nucleobases. Xeno nucleic acids (XNAs) incorporate alternative backbones that affect the conformational, chemical, and thermodynamic properties of XNAs. Given the vast chemical space of possible XNAs, computational modeling of alternative nucleic acids can accelerate the search for plausible nucleic acid analogs and guide their rational design. Additionally, a tool for the modeling of nucleic acids could help reveal what nucleic acid polymers may have existed before RNA in the early evolution of life. To aid the development of novel XNA polymers and the search for possible pre-RNA candidates, this article presents the proto-Nucleic Acid Builder (https://github.com/GT-NucleicAcids/pnab), an open-source program for modeling nucleic acid analogs with alternative backbones and nucleobases. The torsion-driven conformation search procedure implemented here predicts structures with good accuracy compared to experimental structures, and correctly demonstrates the correlation between the helical structure and the backbone conformation in DNA and RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asem Alenaizan
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0400, USA.,Center for Computational Molecular Science and Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0400, USA
| | - Joshua L Barnett
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0430, USA
| | - Nicholas V Hud
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0400, USA
| | - C David Sherrill
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0400, USA.,Center for Computational Molecular Science and Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0400, USA.,School of Computational Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0765, USA
| | - Anton S Petrov
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0400, USA
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34
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Savage JC, Shinde P, Yao Y, Davare MA, Shinde U. A Broccoli aptamer chimera yields a fluorescent K + sensor spanning physiological concentrations. Chem Commun (Camb) 2021; 57:1344-1347. [PMID: 33432937 DOI: 10.1039/d0cc07042d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The RNA aptamer Broccoli accepts 2'fluorinated (2'F) pyrimidine nucleotide incorporation without perturbation of structure or fluorescence in the presence of potassium and DFHBI. However, the modification decreases Broccoli's apparent affinity for K+ >30-fold. A chimera of Broccoli RNAs with mixed chemistries displays linear fluorescent gain spanning physiological K+ concentrations, yielding an effective RNA-based fluorescent K+ sensor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan C Savage
- Department of Chemical Physiology & Biochemistry, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, Portland, OR 97239, USA.
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35
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Varley AJ, Desaulniers JP. Chemical strategies for strand selection in short-interfering RNAs. RSC Adv 2021; 11:2415-2426. [PMID: 35424193 PMCID: PMC8693850 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra07747j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are double stranded RNAs capable of potent and specific gene silencing through activation of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. The potential of siRNA drugs has recently been highlighted by the approval of multiple siRNA therapeutics. These successes relied heavily on chemically modified nucleic acids and their impact on stability, delivery, potency, and off-target effects. Despite remarkable progress, clinical trials still face failure due to off-target effects such as off-target gene dysregulation. Each siRNA strand can downregulate numerous gene targets while also contributing towards saturation of the RNAi machinery, leading to the upregulation of miRNA-repressed genes. Eliminating sense strand uptake effectively reduces off-target gene silencing and helps limit the disruption to endogenous regulatory mechanisms. Therefore, our understanding of strand selection has a direct impact on the success of future siRNA therapeutics. In this review, the approaches used to improve strand uptake are discussed and effective methods are summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Varley
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology Oshawa Ontario L1G 0C5 Canada +1 905 721 3304 +1 905 721 8668 (ext. 3621)
| | - Jean-Paul Desaulniers
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology Oshawa Ontario L1G 0C5 Canada +1 905 721 3304 +1 905 721 8668 (ext. 3621)
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36
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MicroRNAs Regulating Autophagy in Neurodegeneration. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1208:191-264. [PMID: 34260028 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-16-2830-6_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Social and economic impacts of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) become more prominent in our constantly aging population. Currently, due to the lack of knowledge about the aetiology of most NDs, only symptomatic treatment is available for patients. Hence, researchers and clinicians are in need of solid studies on pathological mechanisms of NDs. Autophagy promotes degradation of pathogenic proteins in NDs, while microRNAs post-transcriptionally regulate multiple signalling networks including autophagy. This chapter will critically discuss current research advancements in the area of microRNAs regulating autophagy in NDs. Moreover, we will introduce basic strategies and techniques used in microRNA research. Delineation of the mechanisms contributing to NDs will result in development of better approaches for their early diagnosis and effective treatment.
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37
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Hawner M, Ducho C. Cellular Targeting of Oligonucleotides by Conjugation with Small Molecules. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25245963. [PMID: 33339365 PMCID: PMC7766908 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25245963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug candidates derived from oligonucleotides (ON) are receiving increased attention that is supported by the clinical approval of several ON drugs. Such therapeutic ON are designed to alter the expression levels of specific disease-related proteins, e.g., by displaying antigene, antisense, and RNA interference mechanisms. However, the high polarity of the polyanionic ON and their relatively rapid nuclease-mediated cleavage represent two major pharmacokinetic hurdles for their application in vivo. This has led to a range of non-natural modifications of ON structures that are routinely applied in the design of therapeutic ON. The polyanionic architecture of ON often hampers their penetration of target cells or tissues, and ON usually show no inherent specificity for certain cell types. These limitations can be overcome by conjugation of ON with molecular entities mediating cellular 'targeting', i.e., enhanced accumulation at and/or penetration of a specific cell type. In this context, the use of small molecules as targeting units appears particularly attractive and promising. This review provides an overview of advances in the emerging field of cellular targeting of ON via their conjugation with small-molecule targeting structures.
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38
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Gruenke PR, Alam KK, Singh K, Burke DH. 2'-fluoro-modified pyrimidines enhance affinity of RNA oligonucleotides to HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2020; 26:1667-1679. [PMID: 32732393 PMCID: PMC7566575 DOI: 10.1261/rna.077008.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Nucleic acid aptamers can be chemically modified to enhance function, but modifying previously selected aptamers can have nontrivial structural and functional consequences. We present a reselection strategy to evaluate the impact of several modifications on preexisting aptamer pools. RNA aptamer libraries with affinity to HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) were retranscribed with 2'-F, 2'-OMe, or 2'-NH2 pyrimidines and subjected to three additional selection cycles. RT inhibition was observed for representative aptamers from several structural families identified by high-throughput sequencing when transcribed with their corresponding modifications. Thus, reselection identified specialized subsets of aptamers that tolerated chemical modifications from unmodified preenriched libraries. Inhibition was the strongest with the 2'-F-pyrimidine (2'-FY) RNAs, as compared to inhibition by the 2'-OMeY and 2'-NH2Y RNAs. Unexpectedly, a diverse panel of retroviral RTs were strongly inhibited by all 2'-FY-modified transcripts, including sequences that do not inhibit those RTs as unmodified RNA. The magnitude of promiscuous RT inhibition was proportional to mole fraction 2'-FY in the transcript. RT binding affinity by 2'-FY transcripts was more sensitive to salt concentration than binding by unmodified transcripts, indicating that interaction with retroviral RTs is more ionic in character for 2'-FY RNA than for unmodified 2'-OH RNA. These surprising features of 2'-FY-modified RNA may have general implications for applied aptamer technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paige R Gruenke
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
| | - Khalid K Alam
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
| | - Kamal Singh
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
| | - Donald H Burke
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
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39
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Hyjek-Składanowska M, Stasińska AR, Napiórkowska-Gromadzka A, Bartłomiejczak A, Seth PP, Chmielewski MK, Nowotny M. Disulfide bridge cross-linking between protein and the RNA backbone as a tool to study RNase H1. Bioorg Med Chem 2020; 28:115741. [PMID: 32992250 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/29/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The chemical cross-linking of complexes of proteins with nucleic acids is often used in structural and mechanistic studies of these oftentimes unstable and transient complexes. To date, no method has been reported for the thiol-based conjugation of proteins with an RNA backbone, mainly because of instability of the modified ribonucleic acid that is functionalized at the phosphodiester and its rapid hydrolysis. Here, we report the site-specific synthesis of stable RNA oligonucleotides with a thiol-bearing linker that was attached to the phosphodiester backbone, where the ribonucleotide at the cross-linking site was either replaced with 2'-deoxy- or 2'-fluororibonucleotide. The utility of this approach was validated in cross-linking tests with RNase H1, a model protein for RNA/DNA binding and key effector in DNA-like antisense drug therapy. Furthermore, scale-up cross-linking and purification of the complexes confirmed that the method is useful for obtaining preparations of protein-RNA/DNA complexes with purity and stability that are suitable for further biochemical and structural studies. The present approach broadens the repertoire of disulfide-based cross-linking strategies and is a novel tool for the stabilization of protein-RNA complexes in which the interaction occurs via the RNA backbone. This methodology may be broadly applicable to studies of otherwise unstable or transient complexes of proteins with RNA and RNA/DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malwina Hyjek-Składanowska
- Structural Biology Center, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 4 Trojdena St., Warsaw 02-109, Poland; Laboratory of Protein Structure, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 4 Trojdena St., Warsaw 02-109, Poland
| | - Anna R Stasińska
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, Poznań 61-704, Poland; FutureSynthesis sp. z o.o. ul. Rubież 46H, Poznań 61-612, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Napiórkowska-Gromadzka
- Structural Biology Center, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 4 Trojdena St., Warsaw 02-109, Poland; Laboratory of Protein Structure, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 4 Trojdena St., Warsaw 02-109, Poland
| | - Aneta Bartłomiejczak
- Structural Biology Center, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 4 Trojdena St., Warsaw 02-109, Poland
| | - Punit P Seth
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, CA 92010, United States
| | - Marcin K Chmielewski
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, Poznań 61-704, Poland; FutureSynthesis sp. z o.o. ul. Rubież 46H, Poznań 61-612, Poland.
| | - Marcin Nowotny
- Structural Biology Center, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 4 Trojdena St., Warsaw 02-109, Poland; Laboratory of Protein Structure, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 4 Trojdena St., Warsaw 02-109, Poland.
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40
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Tsubaki K, Hammill ML, Varley AJ, Kitamura M, Okauchi T, Desaulniers JP. Synthesis and Evaluation of Neutral Phosphate Triester Backbone-Modified siRNAs. ACS Med Chem Lett 2020; 11:1457-1462. [PMID: 32676154 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.0c00232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Two unsymmetrical dinucleotide phosphate triesters were synthesized via transesterification from tris(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) phosphate. The protected triesters were phosphytilated to generate phosphoramidites for solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis. Neutral phenylethyl phosphate-modified short-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were synthesized and evaluated for their gene-silencing ability, siRNA strand selection, and resistance to nucleases. These backbone-modified phosphate triester siRNAs offer many improvements compared to natural unmodified siRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kouta Tsubaki
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 1-1 Sensui-cho, Tobata, Kitakyushu 804-8550, Japan
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario L1G 0C5, Canada
| | - Matthew L. Hammill
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario L1G 0C5, Canada
| | - Andrew J. Varley
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario L1G 0C5, Canada
| | - Mitsuru Kitamura
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 1-1 Sensui-cho, Tobata, Kitakyushu 804-8550, Japan
| | - Tatsuo Okauchi
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 1-1 Sensui-cho, Tobata, Kitakyushu 804-8550, Japan
| | - Jean-Paul Desaulniers
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario L1G 0C5, Canada
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41
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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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42
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Boca S, Gulei D, Zimta AA, Onaciu A, Magdo L, Tigu AB, Ionescu C, Irimie A, Buiga R, Berindan-Neagoe I. Nanoscale delivery systems for microRNAs in cancer therapy. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:1059-1086. [PMID: 31637450 PMCID: PMC11105078 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03317-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Concomitant with advances in research regarding the role of miRNAs in sustaining carcinogenesis, major concerns about their delivery options for anticancer therapies have been raised. The answer to this problem may come from the world of nanoparticles such as liposomes, exosomes, polymers, dendrimers, mesoporous silica nanoparticles, quantum dots and metal-based nanoparticles which have been proved as versatile and valuable vehicles for many biomolecules including miRNAs. In another train of thoughts, the general scheme of miRNA modulation consists in inhibition of oncomiRNA expression and restoration of tumor suppressor ones. The codelivery of two miRNAs or miRNAs in combination with chemotherapeutics or small molecules was also proposed. The present review presents the latest advancements in miRNA delivery based on nanoparticle-related strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanda Boca
- Nanobiophotonics and Laser Microspectroscopy Center, Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Sciences, Babes-Bolyai University, 42 T. Laurian, 400271, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Research Center for Functional Genomics, Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, "Iuliu Hatieganu", University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 23 Marinescu Street, 400337, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Diana Gulei
- MEDFUTURE-Research Center for Advanced Medicine, "Iuliu-Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 23 Marinescu Street, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Alina-Andreea Zimta
- MEDFUTURE-Research Center for Advanced Medicine, "Iuliu-Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 23 Marinescu Street, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Anca Onaciu
- MEDFUTURE-Research Center for Advanced Medicine, "Iuliu-Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 23 Marinescu Street, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Lorand Magdo
- Research Center for Functional Genomics, Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, "Iuliu Hatieganu", University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 23 Marinescu Street, 400337, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Adrian Bogdan Tigu
- MEDFUTURE-Research Center for Advanced Medicine, "Iuliu-Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 23 Marinescu Street, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Calin Ionescu
- 5th Surgical Department, Municipal Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Alexandru Irimie
- Department of Oncological Surgery and Gynecological Oncology, 400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Department of Surgery, The Oncology Institute "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuta", 400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Rares Buiga
- Department of Pathology, "Prof Dr. Ion Chiricuta" Oncology Institute, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
| | - Ioana Berindan-Neagoe
- Research Center for Functional Genomics, Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, "Iuliu Hatieganu", University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 23 Marinescu Street, 400337, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
- MEDFUTURE-Research Center for Advanced Medicine, "Iuliu-Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 23 Marinescu Street, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
- Department of Functional Genomics and Experimental Pathology, The Oncology Institute "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuta", 34-36 Republicii Street, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
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43
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Istrate A, Johannsen S, Istrate A, Sigel RKO, Leumann CJ. NMR solution structure of tricyclo-DNA containing duplexes: insight into enhanced thermal stability and nuclease resistance. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:4872-4882. [PMID: 30916334 PMCID: PMC6511864 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2018] [Revised: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Tc-DNA is a conformationally constrained oligonucleotide analogue which shows significant increase in thermal stability when hybridized with RNA, DNA or tc-DNA. Remarkably, recent studies revealed that tc-DNA antisense oligonucleotides (AO) hold great promise for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy. To date, no high-resolution structural data is available for fully modified tc-DNA duplexes and little is known about the origins of their enhanced thermal stability. Here, we report the structures of a fully modified tc-DNA oligonucleotide paired with either complementary RNA, DNA or tc-DNA. All three investigated duplexes maintain a right-handed helical structure with Watson-Crick base pairing and overall geometry intermediate between A- and B-type, but closer to A-type structures. All sugars of the tc-DNA and RNA residues adopt a North conformation whereas the DNA deoxyribose are found in a South-East-North conformation equilibrium. The conformation of the tc-DNA strand in the three determined structures is nearly identical and despite the different nature and local geometry of the complementary strand, the overall structures of the examined duplexes are very similar suggesting that the tc-DNA strand dominates the duplex structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei Istrate
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, Bern CH-3012, Switzerland
| | - Silke Johannsen
- Department of Chemistry, Winterthurerstrasse 190, University of Zürich, Zürich CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Alena Istrate
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, Bern CH-3012, Switzerland
| | - Roland K O Sigel
- Department of Chemistry, Winterthurerstrasse 190, University of Zürich, Zürich CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Christian J Leumann
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, Bern CH-3012, Switzerland
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44
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Lu X, Wu H, Xia H, Huang F, Yan Y, Yu B, Cheng R, Drulis-Kawa Z, Zhu B. Klebsiella Phage KP34 RNA Polymerase and Its Use in RNA Synthesis. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2487. [PMID: 31736920 PMCID: PMC6834552 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
We have characterized the single subunit RNA polymerase from Klebsiella phage KP34. The enzyme is unique among known bacteriophage RNA polymerases in that it recognizes two unrelated promoter sequences, which provided clues for the evolution of phage single-subunit RNA polymerases. As the first representative enzyme from the “phiKMV-like viruses” cluster, its use in run-off RNA synthesis was investigated. RNA-Seq analysis revealed that the KP34 RNA polymerase does not possess the undesired self-templated RNA terminus extension known for T7 RNA polymerase and is suitable to synthesize RNAs with structured 3′ termini such as sgRNAs. A KP34 RNA polymerase Y603F mutant is engineered to incorporate deoxy- and 2′-fluoro ribonucleotide into RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueling Lu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences and Technology and Shenzhen College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Hui Wu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences and Technology and Shenzhen College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Heng Xia
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences and Technology and Shenzhen College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Fengtao Huang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences and Technology and Shenzhen College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yan Yan
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences and Technology and Shenzhen College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Bingbing Yu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences and Technology and Shenzhen College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Rui Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences and Technology and Shenzhen College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Zuzanna Drulis-Kawa
- Institute of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Bin Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences and Technology and Shenzhen College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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45
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Bheri S, Davis ME. Nanoparticle-Hydrogel System for Post-myocardial Infarction Delivery of MicroRNA. ACS NANO 2019; 13:9702-9706. [PMID: 31469276 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.9b05716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Effective therapies for cardiac repair and regeneration after myocardial infarction (MI) are rather limited. Although microRNAs (miRs) are known to play an important role in improving cardiac function after MI at a cellular level, delivering and retaining miRs at the target site has been challenging. To address this dilemma, several miR carriers have been developed, but these face their own limitations such as immunogenicity and poor targeting to the infarct site. In this Perspective, we summarize different mechanisms for miR administration and localization to cardiac tissue, with a specific focus on the clinically relevant injectable hydrogel and nanoparticle system developed by Yang et al. and reported in this issue of ACS Nano. We also highlight future directions for this field and outline the remaining unanswered questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sruti Bheri
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering , Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University , Atlanta , Georgia 30322 , United States
| | - Michael E Davis
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering , Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University , Atlanta , Georgia 30322 , United States
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46
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O'Reilly D, Kartje ZJ, Ageely EA, Malek-Adamian E, Habibian M, Schofield A, Barkau CL, Rohilla KJ, DeRossett LB, Weigle AT, Damha MJ, Gagnon KT. Extensive CRISPR RNA modification reveals chemical compatibility and structure-activity relationships for Cas9 biochemical activity. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:546-558. [PMID: 30517736 PMCID: PMC6344873 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky1214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat) endonucleases are at the forefront of biotechnology, synthetic biology and gene editing. Methods for controlling enzyme properties promise to improve existing applications and enable new technologies. CRISPR enzymes rely on RNA cofactors to guide catalysis. Therefore, chemical modification of the guide RNA can be used to characterize structure-activity relationships within CRISPR ribonucleoprotein (RNP) enzymes and identify compatible chemistries for controlling activity. Here, we introduce chemical modifications to the sugar–phosphate backbone of Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 CRISPR RNA (crRNA) to probe chemical and structural requirements. Ribose sugars that promoted or accommodated A-form helical architecture in and around the crRNA ‘seed’ region were tolerated best. A wider range of modifications were acceptable outside of the seed, especially D-2′-deoxyribose, and we exploited this property to facilitate exploration of greater chemical diversity within the seed. 2′-fluoro was the most compatible modification whereas bulkier O-methyl sugar modifications were less tolerated. Activity trends could be rationalized for selected crRNAs using RNP stability and DNA target binding experiments. Cas9 activity in vitro tolerated most chemical modifications at predicted 2′-hydroxyl contact positions, whereas editing activity in cells was much less tolerant. The biochemical principles of chemical modification identified here will guide CRISPR-Cas9 engineering and enable new or improved applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel O'Reilly
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Zachary J Kartje
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, USA
| | - Eman A Ageely
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, USA
| | - Elise Malek-Adamian
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Maryam Habibian
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Annabelle Schofield
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Christopher L Barkau
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, USA
| | - Kushal J Rohilla
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, USA
| | - Lauren B DeRossett
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, USA
| | - Austin T Weigle
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, USA
| | - Masad J Damha
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Keith T Gagnon
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, USA.,Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, USA
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47
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Willi J, Küpfer P, Evéquoz D, Fernandez G, Katz A, Leumann C, Polacek N. Oxidative stress damages rRNA inside the ribosome and differentially affects the catalytic center. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:1945-1957. [PMID: 29309687 PMCID: PMC5829716 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx1308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increase as a consequence of oxidative stress and represent a major source of damage to biomolecules. Due to its high cellular abundance RNA is more frequently the target for oxidative damage than DNA. Nevertheless the functional consequences of damage on stable RNA are poorly understood. Using a genome-wide approach, based on 8-oxo-guanosine immunoprecipitation, we present evidence that the most abundant non-coding RNA in a cell, the ribosomal RNA (rRNA), is target for oxidative nucleobase damage by ROS. Subjecting ribosomes to oxidative stress, we demonstrate that oxidized 23S rRNA inhibits the ribosome during protein biosynthesis. Placing single oxidized nucleobases at specific position within the ribosome's catalytic center by atomic mutagenesis resulted in markedly different functional outcomes. While some active site nucleobases tolerated oxidative damage well, oxidation at others had detrimental effects on protein synthesis by inhibiting different sub-steps of the ribosomal elongation cycle. Our data provide molecular insight into the biological consequences of RNA oxidation in one of the most central cellular enzymes and reveal mechanistic insight on the role of individual active site nucleobases during translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Willi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.,Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Küpfer
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Damien Evéquoz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Guillermo Fernandez
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile
| | - Assaf Katz
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile
| | - Christian Leumann
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Norbert Polacek
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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48
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Harp JM, Guenther DC, Bisbe A, Perkins L, Matsuda S, Bommineni GR, Zlatev I, Foster DJ, Taneja N, Charisse K, Maier MA, Rajeev KG, Manoharan M, Egli M. Structural basis for the synergy of 4'- and 2'-modifications on siRNA nuclease resistance, thermal stability and RNAi activity. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:8090-8104. [PMID: 30107495 PMCID: PMC6144868 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemical modification is a prerequisite of oligonucleotide therapeutics for improved metabolic stability, uptake and activity, irrespective of their mode of action, i.e. antisense, RNAi or aptamer. Phosphate moiety and ribose C2′/O2′ atoms are the most common sites for modification. Compared to 2′-O-substituents, ribose 4′-C-substituents lie in proximity of both the 3′- and 5′-adjacent phosphates. To investigate potentially beneficial effects on nuclease resistance we combined 2′-F and 2′-OMe with 4′-Cα- and 4′-Cβ-OMe, and 2′-F with 4′-Cα-methyl modification. The α- and β-epimers of 4′-C-OMe-uridine and the α-epimer of 4′-C-Me-uridine monomers were synthesized and incorporated into siRNAs. The 4′α-epimers affect thermal stability only minimally and show increased nuclease stability irrespective of the 2′-substituent (H, F, OMe). The 4′β-epimers are strongly destabilizing, but afford complete resistance against an exonuclease with the phosphate or phosphorothioate backbones. Crystal structures of RNA octamers containing 2′-F,4′-Cα-OMe-U, 2′-F,4′-Cβ-OMe-U, 2′-OMe,4′-Cα-OMe-U, 2′-OMe,4′-Cβ-OMe-U or 2′-F,4′-Cα-Me-U help rationalize these observations and point to steric and electrostatic origins of the unprecedented nuclease resistance seen with the chain-inverted 4′β-U epimer. We used structural models of human Argonaute 2 in complex with guide siRNA featuring 2′-F,4′-Cα-OMe-U or 2′-F,4′-Cβ-OMe-U at various sites in the seed region to interpret in vitro activities of siRNAs with the corresponding 2′-/4′-C-modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel M Harp
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Dale C Guenther
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 300 Third Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Anna Bisbe
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 300 Third Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Lydia Perkins
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 300 Third Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Shigeo Matsuda
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 300 Third Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | | | - Ivan Zlatev
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 300 Third Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Donald J Foster
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 300 Third Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Nate Taneja
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 300 Third Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Klaus Charisse
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 300 Third Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Martin A Maier
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 300 Third Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | | | - Muthiah Manoharan
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 300 Third Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 615 343 8070; Fax: +1 615 343 0704; . Correspondence may also be addressed to Muthiah Manoharan. Tel: +1 617 551 8319; Fax: +1 617 551 8101;
| | - Martin Egli
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 615 343 8070; Fax: +1 615 343 0704; . Correspondence may also be addressed to Muthiah Manoharan. Tel: +1 617 551 8319; Fax: +1 617 551 8101;
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49
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Savage JC, Shinde P, Bächinger HP, Davare MA, Shinde U. A ribose modification of Spinach aptamer accelerates lead(ii) cation association in vitro. Chem Commun (Camb) 2019; 55:5882-5885. [PMID: 31037281 DOI: 10.1039/c9cc01697j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Spinach aptamer fluorescence requires formation of a tripartite complex composed of folded RNA, a GFP-like fluorophore, and selective cation coordination. 2'F pyrimidine modified Spinach has retained fluorescence, increased chemical stability, and accelerated cation association via increased G-quadruplex dynamics, thereby reducing readout time and enhancing Spinach utility for aqueous Pb2+ detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan C Savage
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, Portland, OR 97239, USA.
| | - Pushkar Shinde
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, Portland, OR 97239, USA. and MSC181105, Emory University Main Campus, 1762 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30022, USA
| | - Hans Peter Bächinger
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, Portland, OR 97239, USA. and Research Department, Shriners Hospital, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Monika A Davare
- Papé Pediatric Research Institute, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Ujwal Shinde
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, Portland, OR 97239, USA.
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50
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Akabane-Nakata M, Kumar P, Das RS, Erande ND, Matsuda S, Egli M, Manoharan M. Synthesis and Biophysical Characterization of RNAs Containing 2'-Fluorinated Northern Methanocarbacyclic Nucleotides. Org Lett 2019; 21:1963-1967. [PMID: 30892051 DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.8b04153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
2'-Fluorinated Northern methanocarbacyclic (2'-F-NMC) nucleosides and phosphoramidites, based on a bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane scaffold bearing all four natural nucleobases (U, C, A, and G), were synthesized to enable exploration of this novel nucleotide modification related to the clinically validated 2'-deoxy-2'-fluororibonucleotides (2'-F-RNA). Biophysical properties of the 2'-F-NMC-containing oligonucleotides were evaluated. A duplex of 2'-F-NMC-modified oligonucleotide with RNA exhibited thermal stability similar to that of the parent RNA duplex, 2'-F-NMC-modified oligonucleotides had higher stability against 5'- and 3'-exonucleolytic degradation than the corresponding oligonucleotides modified with 2'-F-RNA, and 2'-F-NMC-modified oligonucleotides exhibited higher lipophilicity than the corresponding RNA oligonucleotides as well as those modified with 2'-F-RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaaki Akabane-Nakata
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , 300 Third Street , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02142 , United States
| | - Pawan Kumar
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , 300 Third Street , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02142 , United States
| | - Rajat S Das
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , 300 Third Street , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02142 , United States
| | - Namrata D Erande
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , 300 Third Street , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02142 , United States
| | - Shigeo Matsuda
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , 300 Third Street , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02142 , United States
| | - Martin Egli
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine , Vanderbilt University , Nashville , Tennessee 37232 , United States
| | - Muthiah Manoharan
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , 300 Third Street , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02142 , United States
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