1
|
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.
Collapse
|
2
|
Wojtyniak M, Schmidtgall B, Kirsch P, Ducho C. Towards Zwitterionic Oligonucleotides with Improved Properties: the NAA/LNA-Gapmer Approach. Chembiochem 2020; 21:3234-3243. [PMID: 32662164 PMCID: PMC7754139 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202000450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Oligonucleotides (ON) are promising therapeutic candidates, for instance by blocking endogenous mRNA (antisense mechanism). However, ON usually require structural modifications of the native nucleic acid backbone to ensure satisfying pharmacokinetic properties. One such strategy to design novel antisense oligonucleotides is to replace native phosphate diester units by positively charged artificial linkages, thus leading to (partially) zwitterionic backbone structures. Herein, we report a "gapmer" architecture comprised of one zwitterionic central segment ("gap") containing nucleosyl amino acid (NAA) modifications and two outer segments of locked nucleic acid (LNA). This NAA/LNA-gapmer approach furnished a partially zwitterionic ON with optimised properties: i) the formation of stable ON-RNA duplexes with base-pairing fidelity and superior target selectivity at 37 °C; and ii) excellent stability in complex biological media. Overall, the NAA/LNA-gapmer approach is thus established as a strategy to design partially zwitterionic ON for the future development of novel antisense agents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Wojtyniak
- Department of PharmacyPharmaceutical and Medicinal ChemistrySaarland UniversityCampus C2 366123SaarbrückenGermany
| | - Boris Schmidtgall
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of PaderbornWarburger Str. 10033098PaderbornGermany
| | - Philine Kirsch
- Department of PharmacyPharmaceutical and Medicinal ChemistrySaarland UniversityCampus C2 366123SaarbrückenGermany
| | - Christian Ducho
- Department of PharmacyPharmaceutical and Medicinal ChemistrySaarland UniversityCampus C2 366123SaarbrückenGermany
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of PaderbornWarburger Str. 10033098PaderbornGermany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Jahanban-Esfahlan A, Seidi K, Jaymand M, Schmidt TL, Majdi H, Javaheri T, Jahanban-Esfahlan R, Zare P. Dynamic DNA nanostructures in biomedicine: Beauty, utility and limits. J Control Release 2019; 315:166-185. [PMID: 31669209 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
DNA composite materials are at the forefront, especially for biomedical science, as they can increase the efficacy and safety of current therapies and drug delivery systems. The specificity and predictability of the Watson-Crick base pairing make DNA an excellent building material for the production of programmable and multifunctional objects. In addition, the principle of nucleic acid hybridization can be applied to realize mobile nanostructures, such as those reflected in DNA walkers that sort and collect cargo on DNA tracks, DNA robots performing tasks within living cells and/or DNA tweezers as ultra-sensitive biosensors. In this review, we present the diversity of dynamic DNA nanostructures functionalized with different biomolecules/functional units, imaging smart biomaterials capable of sensing, interacting, delivery and performing complex tasks within living cells/organisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Khaled Seidi
- Biotechnology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mehdi Jaymand
- Nano Drug Delivery Research Center, Health Technology Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Thorsten L Schmidt
- Physics Department, 103 Smith Hall, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44240, USA
| | - Hasan Majdi
- Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Tahereh Javaheri
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Rana Jahanban-Esfahlan
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Faculty of Medicine, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, 01-938 Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Peyman Zare
- Faculty of Medicine, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, 01-938 Warsaw, Poland.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Meng M, Schmidtgall B, Ducho C. Enhanced Stability of DNA Oligonucleotides with Partially Zwitterionic Backbone Structures in Biological Media. Molecules 2018; 23:molecules23112941. [PMID: 30423832 PMCID: PMC6278555 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23112941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Deficient stability towards nuclease-mediated degradation is one of the most relevant tasks in the development of oligonucleotide-derived biomedical agents. This hurdle can be overcome through modifications to the native oligonucleotide backbone structure, with the goal of simultaneously retaining the unique hybridization properties of nucleic acids. The nucleosyl amino acid (NAA)-modification is a recently introduced artificial cationic backbone linkage. Partially zwitterionic NAA-modified oligonucleotides had previously shown hybridization with DNA strands with retained base-pairing fidelity. In this study, we report the significantly enhanced stability of NAA-modified oligonucleotides towards 3′- and 5′-exonuclease-mediated degradation as well as in complex biological media such as human plasma and whole cell lysate. This demonstrates the potential versatility of the NAA-motif as a backbone modification for the development of biomedically active oligonucleotide analogues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Meng
- Saarland University, Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Campus C2 3, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
| | - Boris Schmidtgall
- Saarland University, Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Campus C2 3, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
- University of Paderborn, Department of Chemistry, Warburger Str. 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany.
| | - Christian Ducho
- Saarland University, Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Campus C2 3, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
- University of Paderborn, Department of Chemistry, Warburger Str. 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Meng M, Ducho C. Oligonucleotide analogues with cationic backbone linkages. Beilstein J Org Chem 2018; 14:1293-1308. [PMID: 29977397 PMCID: PMC6009206 DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.14.111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Their unique ability to selectively bind specific nucleic acid sequences makes oligonucleotides promising bioactive agents. However, modifications of the nucleic acid structure are an essential prerequisite for their application in vivo or even in cellulo. The oligoanionic backbone structure of oligonucleotides mainly hampers their ability to penetrate biological barriers such as cellular membranes. Hence, particular attention has been given to structural modifications of oligonucleotides which reduce their overall number of negative charges. One such approach is the site-specific replacement of the negatively charged phosphate diester linkage with alternative structural motifs which are positively charged at physiological pH, thus resulting in zwitterionic or even oligocationic backbone structures. This review provides a general overview of this concept and summarizes research on four according artificial backbone linkages: aminoalkylated phosphoramidates (and related systems), guanidinium groups, S-methylthiourea motifs, and nucleosyl amino acid (NAA)-derived modifications. The synthesis and properties of the corresponding oligonucleotide analogues are described.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Meng
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Saarland University, Campus C2 3, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Christian Ducho
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Saarland University, Campus C2 3, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Schmidtgall B, Kuepper A, Meng M, Grossmann TN, Ducho C. Oligonucleotides with Cationic Backbone and Their Hybridization with DNA: Interplay of Base Pairing and Electrostatic Attraction. Chemistry 2017; 24:1544-1553. [PMID: 29048135 PMCID: PMC5814856 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201704338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Non‐natural oligonucleotides represent important (bio)chemical tools and potential therapeutic agents. Backbone modifications altering hybridization properties and biostability can provide useful analogues. Here, we employ an artificial nucleosyl amino acid (NAA) motif for the synthesis of oligonucleotides containing a backbone decorated with primary amines. An oligo‐T sequence of this cationic DNA analogue shows significantly increased affinity for complementary DNA. Notably, hybridization with DNA is still governed by Watson–Crick base pairing. However, single base pair mismatches are tolerated and some degree of sequence‐independent interactions between the cationic NAA backbone and fully mismatched DNA are observed. These findings demonstrate that a high density of positive charges directly connected to the oligonucleotide backbone can affect Watson–Crick base pairing. This provides a paradigm for the design of therapeutic oligonucleotides with altered backbone charge patterns.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Boris Schmidtgall
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Saarland University, Campus C2 3, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany.,Department of Chemistry, University of Paderborn, Warburger Strasse 100, 33098, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Arne Kuepper
- Chemical Genomics Centre (CGC) of the Max Planck Society, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, 44227, Dortmund, Germany.,Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Melissa Meng
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Saarland University, Campus C2 3, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Tom N Grossmann
- Chemical Genomics Centre (CGC) of the Max Planck Society, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, 44227, Dortmund, Germany.,Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, 44227, Dortmund, Germany.,Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Christian Ducho
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Saarland University, Campus C2 3, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany.,Department of Chemistry, University of Paderborn, Warburger Strasse 100, 33098, Paderborn, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wiegmann D, Koppermann S, Wirth M, Niro G, Leyerer K, Ducho C. Muraymycin nucleoside-peptide antibiotics: uridine-derived natural products as lead structures for the development of novel antibacterial agents. Beilstein J Org Chem 2016; 12:769-795. [PMID: 27340469 PMCID: PMC4902027 DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.12.77] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Muraymycins are a promising class of antimicrobial natural products. These uridine-derived nucleoside-peptide antibiotics inhibit the bacterial membrane protein translocase I (MraY), a key enzyme in the intracellular part of peptidoglycan biosynthesis. This review describes the structures of naturally occurring muraymycins, their mode of action, synthetic access to muraymycins and their analogues, some structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies and first insights into muraymycin biosynthesis. It therefore provides an overview on the current state of research, as well as an outlook on possible future developments in this field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Wiegmann
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Saarland University, Campus C2 3, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Stefan Koppermann
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Saarland University, Campus C2 3, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Marius Wirth
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Saarland University, Campus C2 3, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Giuliana Niro
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Saarland University, Campus C2 3, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Kristin Leyerer
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Saarland University, Campus C2 3, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Christian Ducho
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Saarland University, Campus C2 3, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
| |
Collapse
|