Design and Synthesis of Triazole-Linked xylo-Nucleoside Dimers

Three triazole-linked nonionic xylo-nucleoside dimers T^L-t-T^xL, T^L-t-A^BzxL and T^L-t-C^BzxL have been synthesized for the first time by Cu(I) catalyzed azide-alkyne [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction (CuAAC) of 1-(3′-azido-3′-deoxy-2′-O,4′-C-methylene-β-D-ribo-furanosyl)thymine with different alkynes, i.e., 1-(5′-deoxy-5′-C-ethynyl-2′-O,4′-C-methylene-β-D-xylofuranosyl)thymine, 9-(5′-deoxy-5′-C-ethynyl-2′-O,4′-C-methylene-β-D-xylo-furanosyl)-N6-benzoyladenine and 1-(5′-deoxy-5′-C-ethynyl-2′-O,4′-C-methylene-β-D-xylofuranosyl)-N4-benzoylcytosine in 90%–92% yields. Among the two Cu(I) reagents, CuSO₄.5H₂O-sodium ascorbate in THF:^tBuOH:H₂O (1:1:1) and CuBr.SMe₂ in THF used for cycloaddition (click) reaction, the former one was found to be better yielding than the latter one.     

Synthesis of a Base-Protected xylo-LNA Adenine Nucleoside

Abstract

Synthesis of (1S,3R,4R,7R)-7-hydroxy-1-hydroxymethyl-3-(6-N-benzoyl-adenin-9-yl)-2,5-dioxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane (2), a base-protected xylo-LNA adenine nucleoside, has been accomplished using a convergent synthetic strategy starting from 1,2-di-O-acetylfuranose 3.     

Synthesis of locked pyranosyl nucleic acid (LpNA)

A new locked pyranosyl nucleoside was synthesized by phenylsulfinyl-assisted chemistry. The novel building block was inserted into oligonucleotides and provides new insight on conformational restricted pyranosyl nucleosides on duplex formation     

锁核酸研究进展

锁核酸(locked nucleic acid,LNA)是一种新型的寡核酸衍生物,结构中β-D-呋喃核糖的2’-O,4’-C位通过缩水作用形成环形的氧亚甲基桥、硫亚甲基桥或胺亚甲基桥,呋喃糖的结构锁定在C3’内型的N构型,形成了刚性的缩合结构。LNA作为一种新的反义核酸,具有与DNA／RNA强大的杂交亲和力、反义活性、抗核酸酶能力、水溶性好及体内无毒性等优点。LNA在基因诊断和基因治疗上有很多优势,如：单链核酸的多态性基因分型、LNA寡聚体具有高效抑制端粒酶活性及LNA修饰的DNA核酶(LNAzymes)高效清除高级结构的RNA等,有良好的应用研究前景。     

LNA-modified oligonucleotides effectively drive intramolecular-stable hairpin to intermolecular-duplex state

Sequence-specific hybridization of antisense and antigene agent to the target nucleic acid is an important therapeutic strategy to modulate gene expression. However, efficiency of such agents falls due to inherent intramolecular-secondary-structures present in the target that pose competition to intermolecular hybridization by complementary antisense/antigene agent. Performance of these agents can be improved by employing structurally modified complementary oligonucleotides that efficiently hybridize to the target and force it to transit from an intramolecular-structured-state to an intermolecular-duplex state. In this study, the potential of variably substituted locked nucleic acid-modified oligonucleotides (8mer) to hybridize and disrupt highly stable, secondary structure of nucleic acid has been biophysically characterized and compared with the conventionally used unmodified DNA oligonucleotides. The target here is a stem-loop hairpin oligonucleotide-a structure commonly present in most structured-nucleic acids and known to exhibit an array of biological functions. Using fluorescence-based studies and EMSA we prove that LNA-modified oligonucleotides hybridize to the target hairpin with higher binding affinity even at lower concentration and subsequently, force it to assume a duplex conformation. LNA-modified oligonucleotides may thus, prove as potential therapeutic candidates to manipulate gene expression by disruption of biologically relevant nucleic acid secondary structure.     

Application of small interfering RNAs modified by unlocked nucleic acid (UNA) to inhibit the heart-pathogenic coxsackievirus B3

This study describes the first application of unlocked nucleic acid (UNA)-modified small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) directed against a medically relevant target, the coxsackievirus B3. We systematically analyzed the impact of different siRNA modification patterns and observed good compatibility of the introduction of UNA with the maintenance of high antiviral activity. Additionally, the polarity of an siRNA was successfully reversed by modulating the relative stability of the termini with locked nucleic acid (LNA) and UNA as shown in a reporter assay. The potency of the reversed siRNA against the full-length target was, however, too low to inhibit the infectious virus. Altogether, combined modification of siRNAs with LNA und UNA provides a promising approach to alter and improve properties of an siRNA.     

DNA fine structure and dynamics in crystals and in solution: the impact of BI/BII backbone conformations

Sugar-phosphate backbone conformations are an important structural element for a complete understanding of specific recognition in nucleic acid-protein interactions. They can be involved both in early stages of target discrimination and in structural adaptation upon binding. In the first part of this study, we have analyzed high-resolution structures of double-stranded B-DNA either isolated or bound to proteins, and explored the impact of both the standard BI and the unusual BII phosphate backbone conformations on neighboring sugar puckers and on selected helical parameters. Correlations are found to be similar for free and bound DNA, and in both categories, the possible facing backbone conformations (BI.BI, BI.BII, and BII.BII) define well-characterized substates in the B-DNA conformational space. Notably, BII.BII steps are characterized by specific, and sequence-independent, structural effects involving reduced standard deviations for almost all conformational parameters. In the second part of this work, we analyze four 10 ns molecular dynamics simulations in explicit solvent on the DNA targets of NF-kappaB and bovine papillomavirus E2 proteins, highlighting the multiplicity of backbone dynamical behavior. These results show sequence effects on the percentages of BI and BII conformers, the preferential state of facing backbones, the occurrence of coupled transitions. The backbone states can consequently be seen as a mechanism for transmitting information from the bases to the phosphate groups and thus for modulating the overall structural properties of the target DNA.     

Multiplex genotyping based on the melting temperature of a single locked nucleic acid probe

Locked nucleic acid (LNA) is a modified RNA nucleotide that can be incorporated at specific positions to generate probes with the desired length, melting temperature (T_M), and specificity. Here, we describe a method of multiplex genotyping based on dramatic shifts in the T_M of a single dual-labeled LNA probe. Using this method, two varieties of the hairtail fish Trichiurus lepturus can be distinguished from each other, as well as from Trichiurus japonicus, based on a 1- to 2-bp difference in a fragment of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1. The shift in T_M was 15 °C for a 1-bp mismatch and 27 °C for a 2-bp mismatch, indicating remarkable specificity. We anticipate that the method will be widely useful in applications such as species identification that require accurate, multiplex, and efficient detection of DNA polymorphisms.     

A structure-activity relationship of a thrombin-binding aptamer containing LNA in novel sites

In this report, structural characterization, aptamer stability and thrombin of a new modified thrombin-ligand complex binding aptamer (TBA) containing anti-guanine bases and a loop position locked nucleic acid (LNA) are presented. NMR, circular dichroic spectroscopy and molecular modeling were used to characterize the three-dimensional structure of two G-quadruplexes. LNA-modification of the anti-guanosines yields G-quadruplexes that show affinity and inhibitory activity toward thrombin, whereas LNA-modification of a thymine nucleotide in the TGT loop increases the thermal stability of TBA. As assessed by denatured PAGE electrophoresis, all modified aptamers display an increase in environmental stability. The prothrombin time assay and fibrinogen assay showed that the aptamers still had good inhibitory activity, and 15 of them had the longest PT time. Therefore, the LNA modification is well suited to improve the physicochemical and biological properties of the native thrombin-binding aptamer.     

Synthesis and Anti‐HIV Activity of [ddN]‐[ddN] Dimers and Benzimidazole Nucleoside Dimers

In an attempt to combine the HIV‐inhibitory capacity of different 2′,3′‐dideoxynucleoside (ddN) analogs, we have designed and synthesized several dimers of [AZT]‐[AZT] and [AZT]‐[d4T]. In addition, we also synthesized the dimers of 1‐(1H‐benzimidazol‐1‐yl)‐1‐deoxy‐β‐D ‐ribofuranose. The in vitro anti‐HIV activity of these compounds on a pseudotype virus, pNL4‐3.Luc.R‐E‐, in the 293T cells has been determined. Among these compounds, 2,2′‐(propane‐1,3‐diyl)bis[1‐(β‐D ‐ribofuranosyl)‐1H‐benzimidazole] ( 3 ) showed the highest anti‐HIV activity with similar effect as AZT.     

MicroRNAs in cancer — from research to therapy

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate target gene expression through translation repression or mRNA degradation. These non-coding RNAs are emerging as important modulators in cellular pathways, and they appear to play a key role in tumorigenesis. With increasing understanding of the miRNA target genes and the cellular behaviors influenced by them, modulating the miRNA activities may provide exciting opportunities for cancer therapy. Here the latest findings of which genes are targeted by each miRNA are reviewed, with particular emphasis on the deciphering of their possible mechanisms and the potential of miRNA-based cancer therapeutics.     

反基因锁核酸体外阻断乙肝病毒前S2基因表达

目的:探讨针对乙肝病毒前S2基因同聚嘌呤区的锁核酸体外抑制细胞内病毒复制的作用.方法:针对乙肝病毒前S2基因同聚嘌呤区,分别设计合成锁核酸、硫代寡核苷酸、未修饰寡核苷酸及无关对照序列,以半乳糖配体介导转染HepG2.2.15细胞,采用荧光定量聚合酶链反应技术(FQ-PCR)、时间分辨免疫荧光技术(TRFIA)和酶联免疫法(ELISA)分别监测1、3、5和7d细胞培养上清液中HBV DNA、HBsAg和前S2抗原的含量;四甲基偶氮唑蓝(MTT)法检测锁核酸对细胞代谢的影响.结果:加入锁核酸后,对HBV DNA复制、HBsAg和前S2抗原表达均显示有较强的抑制作用,且抑制率随时间呈增高趋势,7d后抑制率分别达61.56％、68.18％和72.82％.各实验组与对照组比较差异均具有统计学意义(均P＜0.05).LNA对细胞代谢无明显影响.结论:针对乙肝病毒前S2基因同聚嘌呤区的反基因锁核酸,体外能有效抑制乙肝病毒的复制,既为乙肝病毒治疗提供有效靶位,也为反基因治疗提供理论和实验依据.     

建立多重液相基因芯片方法快速检测狐狸、水貂成分

基于xMAP液相芯片新型生物技术平台,分别以狐狸线粒体DNA D-loop区序列、水貂线粒体DNA细胞色素b基因序列为模板设计特异扩增引物和探针,并对探针进行锁核酸修饰,建立了二重xMAP液相基因芯片方法,用于快速检测狐狸和水貂源性成分。该法能准确鉴定鉴别狐狸和水貂DNA,对其他18种动物物种DNA均呈检测阴性,对狐狸、水貂DNA的检测低限分别为2. 8pg/μl、0. 9pg/μl,对肉类混样检出限为0. 05%(m/m)。对目标源性DNA含量为1%(V/V)的32份饲料与食品核酸添加样本均呈对应目标检测阳性。结果表明,该方法特异性强、灵敏度高,适用于食品与饲料领域相关原料和产品的质量与安全检验。     

Serial incorporation of a monovalent GalNAc phosphoramidite unit into hepatocyte-targeting antisense oligonucleotides

The targeting of abundant hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptors (ASGPR) with trivalent N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) is a reliable strategy for efficiently delivering antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to the liver. We here experimentally demonstrate the high systemic potential of the synthetically-accessible, phosphodiester-linked monovalent GalNAc unit when tethered to the 5′-terminus of well-characterised 2′,4′-bridged nucleic acid (also known as locked nucleic acid)-modified apolipoprotein B-targeting ASO via a bio-labile linker. Quantitative analysis of the hepatic disposition of the ASOs revealed that phosphodiester is preferable to phosphorothioate as an interunit linkage in terms of ASGPR binding of the GalNAc moiety, as well as the subcellular behavior of the ASO. The flexibility of this monomeric unit was demonstrated by attaching up to 5 GalNAc units in a serial manner and showing that knockdown activity improves as the number of GalNAc units increases. Our study suggests the structural requirements for efficient hepatocellular targeting using monovalent GalNAc and could contribute to a new molecular design for suitably modifying ASO.     

Synthesis and incorporation of methyleneoxy(methylimino) linked thymidine dimer into antisense oligonucleosides

A convenient synthesis of a thymidine (T) nucleoside dimer (T-3′-CH₂-O-NCH₃-5′-T) 12 has been accomplished via a nucleoside coupling reaction. An alternative synthesis of 3′-deoxy-3′-C-hydroxymethylthymidine is described. The new dimer and methodology is useful for the development of backbone-modified antisense oligonucleosides.     

Nonenzymatic Template-directed Synthesis of RNA from Monomers

Reviewed are the latest achievements in studying the information transfer mechanisms and the evolutionary significance of prebiotic RNA synthesis, the double helix structures most preferred in this respect, and the possible reasons for the prevalence of particular enantiomeric forms of nucleotides in template-directed synthesis.     

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Acyclic Phosphonic Acid Nucleoside Derivatives

As part of a project to generate a library of nucleosides as potential antiviral agents, a small subset of novel acyclic phosphonic acid nucleosides was prepared. Practical synthetic routes are described for three targets, which were then tested against HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and Dengue virus.     

基因组磷硫酰化修饰的研究进展及展望北大核心CSCD

DNA磷硫酰化修饰是DNA骨架上的第一例生理修饰。该修饰由dnd ABCDE编码的5个蛋白协同作用,以硫原子取代DNA磷酸二酯键上一个非桥接的氧原子。研究发现,DNA磷硫酰化修饰广泛存在于各种微生物中,在不同细菌中存在序列特异性,且具有R_P空间构象专一性。近年来,对DNA磷硫酰化修饰的研究取得了一系列的成果。为了对DNA磷硫酰化修饰有一个系统全面的了解,本文将就这一特殊生理修饰的发现过程,研究进展,未来所面临的机遇及挑战作一个简要的概述。     

应用LNA-PCR法检测乙型肝炎病毒阿德福韦酯耐药位点基因突变

目的:建立简便、快速、灵敏的锁核酸(locked nucleic acid,LNA)探针实时荧光聚合酶链反应(PCR)检测方法,检测乙型肝炎病毒(hepatitis B virus,HBV)阿德福韦酯(Adefovir dipivoxil,ADV)耐药相关位点(rtA181V、rtN236T)突变。方法:通过基因测序筛选阳性样本,进而构建ADV rt181和rt236位点野生株和突变株重组质粒,设计包含扩增阿德福韦酯rtA181V和rtN236T耐药位点在内的特异性引物和LNA荧光探针,以构建的重组质粒为标准品建立实时荧光PCR反应体系,并通过与基因测序平行检测血清样本以判断检测方法的可行性与准确性。结果:所建立的LNA-PCR法能够检测102copies/ml的HBV中ADV基因突变,同时具备较高的特异性。通过对89例ADV治疗一年后HBV阳性临床样本进行检测,有8例(8.98%)rtA181V突变、5例(5.61%)rtN236T突变、2例(2.24%)rtA181V和rtN236T混合突变,检测结果与测序结果一致。结论:所建立的LNA-PCR法是一种简便、快速、灵敏的基因突变检测方法,能有效的区分单碱基突变,对慢性乙型肝炎患者德福韦治疗过程中耐药突变的监控和抗病毒药物的调整具有指导意义。     

Synthesis of Oleanolic Acid Dimers as Inhibitors of Glycogen Phosphorylase

Recently, oleanolic acid was found to be an inhibitor of glycogen phosphorylase. For further structural modification, we have synthesized several dimers of oleanolic acid by using amide, ester, or triazole linkage with click chemistry. The click chemistry was shown to be the most efficient method for the dimer synthesis. Nearly quantitative yield of triazole‐linked dimers was obtained. Biological evaluation of the synthesized dimers as inhibitors of glycogen phosphorylase has been described. Four of six dimers exhibited inhibitory activity against rabbit muscle glycogen phosphorylase a (RMGPa), with compounds 2 and 7 as the most potent inhibitors, which displayed an IC₅₀ value (ca. 3 μM ) lower than that of oleanolic acid (IC₅₀=14 μM ).