Research Paper
A solid-phase CuAAC strategy for the synthesis of PNA containing nucleobase surrogates
Research Paper
Di-heterometalation of thiol-functionalized peptide nucleic acids
Research Paper
Fluorescent triplex-forming DNA oligonucleotides labeled with a thiazole orange dimer unit
Research Paper
Nucleic acid sensing by an orthogonal reporter system based on homo-DNA
Commentary
Bending of short DNA helices
A new variety on non-coding RNA has been discovered by several groups: circular RNA (circRNA). This discovery raises intriguing questions about the possibility of the existence of knotted RNA molecules and the existence of a new class of enzymes changing RNA topology, RNA topoisomerases.
The synthesis of an azide containing PNA monomer is described. The monomer was incorporated into two PNA sequences for the purpose of synthesizing an intercalating fluorophore-labeled PNA and a metal binding hairpin using a solid phase copper catalyzed azide-alkyne Huisgen cycloaddition (CuAAC). Click chemistry was performed using 2-ethynylfluorene or 1-ethynylpyrene to add a fluorophore to the PNA, which were tested for their ability to recognize an abasic site on a DNA target. A PNA hairpin possessing azide monomers at each termini was synthesized and reacted with 2-ethynylpyridine to form a hairpin that is stabilized by Ni2+.
As a proof-of-principle, two hetero-bimetallic PNA oligomers containing a ruthenium(II) polypyridyl and a cyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl complex have been prepared by serial combination of solid-phase peptide coupling and in-solution thiol chemistry. Solid-phase N-terminus attachment of Ru(II)-polypyridyl carboxylic acid derivative, C1, onto the thiol-functionalized PNA backbone (H-a-a-g-t-c-t-g-c-linker-cys-NH2) has been performed by standard peptide coupling method. As two parallel approaches, the strong affinity of thiols for maleimide and haloacetyl group has been exploited for subsequent post-SPPS addition of cymantrene-based organometallic cores, C2 and C3. Michael-like addition and thioether ligation of thiol functionalized PNA1 (H-gly-a-a-g-t-c-t-g-c-linker-cys-NH2) and PNA2 (C1-a-a-g-t-c-t-g-c-linker-cys-NH2) to cymantrene maleimide and chloroacetyl derivatives, C2 and C3, respectively, has been performed. The synthesized ruthenium(II)-cymantrenyl PNA oligomers have been characterized by mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and IR spectroscopy. The distinct Mn-CO vibrational IR stretches, between 1,924–2,074 cm−1, have been used as markers to confirm the presence of cymantrenyl units in the PNA sequences and the purity of the HPLC-purified PNA thioethers assessed using LC-MS.
Fluorescent probes for the detection of a double-stranded DNA were prepared by labeling a triplex-forming DNA oligonucleotide with a thiazole orange (TO) dimer unit. They belong to ECHO (exciton-controlled hybridization-sensitive fluorescent oligonucleotide) probes which we have previously reported. The excitonic interaction between the two TO molecules was expected to effectively suppress the background fluorescence of the probes. The applicability of the ECHO probes for the detection of double-stranded DNA was confirmed by examining the thermal stability and photophysical and kinetic properties of the DNA triplexes formed by the ECHO probes.
We have developed an assay for single strand DNA or RNA detection which is based on the homo-DNA templated Staudinger reduction of the profluorophore rhodamine-azide. The assay is based on a three component system, consisting of a homo-DNA/DNA hybrid probe, a set of homo-DNA reporter strands and the target DNA or RNA. We present two different formats of the assay (Omega probe and linear probe) in which the linear probe was found to perform best with catalytic turnover of the reporter strands (TON: 8) and a match/mismatch discrimination of up to 19. The advantage of this system is that the reporting (homo-DNA) and sensing (DNA) domain are decoupled from each other since the two pairing systems are bioorthogonal. This allows independent optimization of either domain which may lead to higher selectivity in in vivo imaging.
In their recent Science paper, Vafabakhsh and Ha claim that DNA duplexes at the range of 100 bp experience anomalous flexibility, much greater than the flexibility of large DNA molecules.1 However, careful reevaluation of their data leads to the conclusion that the presented data do not warrant the authors’ claim.
