The Discovery, Development and Demonstration of Three Caged Compounds†

Light-Activated Translation of Different mRNAs in Cells via Wavelength-Dependent Photouncaging

The 5' cap is a hallmark of eukaryotic mRNA involved in the initiation of translation. Its modification with a single photo-cleavable group can bring translation of mRNA under the control of light. However, UV irradiation causes cell stress and downregulation of translation. Furthermore, complex processes often involve timed expression of more than one gene. The approach would thus greatly benefit from the ability to photo-cleave by blue light and to control more than one mRNA at a time. We report the synthesis of a 5' cap modified with a 7-(diethylamino)coumarin (CouCap) and adapted conditions for in vitro transcription. Translation of the resulting CouCap-mRNA is muted in vitro and in mammalian cells, and can be initiated by irradiation with 450 nm. The native cap is restored and no non-natural residues nor sequence alterations remain in the mRNA. Multiplexing for two different mRNAs was achieved by combining cap analogs with coumarin- and ortho-nitrobenzyl-based photo-cleavable groups.

Assessment of Photoreleasable Linkers and Light-Capturing Antennas on a Photoresponsive Cobalamin Scaffold

Cobalamin has shown promise as a light-sensitive drug delivery platform owing to its ease of modification and the high quantum yields for drug photorelease. However, studies to date on the general photochemistry of alkyl cobalamins have primarily focused on methyl and adenosyl-substituted derivatives, the natural cofactors present in various enzymatic species. We describe the synthesis and photolytic behavior of cobalamin conjugates comprised of different combinations of fluorophores and β-axial ligands. In general, cobalamin conjugates containing β-axial alkyl substituents undergo efficient photolysis under aqueous conditions, with quantum yields up to >40%. However, substituents that are large and hydrophobic, or unable to readily support the presumed radical intermediate, suffer less efficient photolysis (<15%) than smaller, water-soluble, analogs. By contrast, quantum yields improve by 2-fold in DMF for cobalamins containing large hydrophobic β-axial substituents. This suggests that drug release from carriers comprised of membranous compartments, such as liposomes, may be significantly more efficient than the corresponding photorelease in an aqueous environment. Finally, we explored the impact of fluorophores on the photolysis of alkyl cobalamins under tissue-mimetic conditions. Cobalamins substituted with efficient photon-capturing fluorophores display up to 4-fold enhancements in photolysis relative to unsubstituted derivatives. In summary, we have shown that the photosensitivity of alkyl cobalamin conjugates can be tuned by altering the Co-appended alkyl moiety, modulating the polarity of the environment (solvent), and installing photon-capturing fluorophores onto the cobalamin framework.