Bicyclic Caged Morpholino Oligonucleotides for Optical Gene Silencing. (6th October 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pattanayak, Sankha; Sarode, Bhagyesh R.; Deiters, Alexander; Chen, James K.
• Is Part Of: Chembiochem. Volume 23:Number 21(2022)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2022-10-06
• Subjects: antisense agents -- morpholino oligonucleotides -- nucleic acids -- photoactivatable -- zebrafish; Biochemistry -- Periodicals; Molecular biology -- Periodicals; Pharmaceutical chemistry -- Periodicals; 572
• DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200374
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1439-4227

Abstract

Abstract: Caged morpholino oligonucleotides (cMOs) are synthetic tools that allow light‐inducible gene silencing in live organisms. Previously reported cMOs have utilized hairpin, duplex, and cyclic structures, as well as caged nucleobases. While these antisense technologies enable efficient optical control of RNA splicing and translation, they can have limited dynamic range. A new caging strategy was developed where the two MO termini are conjugated to an internal position through a self‐immolative trifunctional linker, thereby generating a bicyclic cMO that is conformationally resistant to RNA binding. The efficacy of this alternative cMO design has been demonstrated in zebrafish embryos and compared to linear MOs and monocyclic constructs. Abstract : Caged morpholino oligonucleotides allow light‐dependent gene silencing in whole organisms. In this study, a new type of caged morpholino with a bicyclic geometry was developed. Ultraviolet light linearizes the bicyclic structure through self‐immolative linker cleavage, leading to targeted RNA silencing in zebrafish embryos.