| 1. |
- Mahale, Sagar, et al.
(författare)
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HnRNPK maintains single strand RNA through controlling double-strand RNA in mammalian cells.
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 13:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although antisense transcription is a widespread event in the mammalian genome, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) formation between sense and antisense transcripts is very rare and mechanisms that control dsRNA remain unknown. By characterizing the FGF-2 regulated transcriptome in normal and cancer cells, we identified sense and antisense transcripts IER3 and IER3-AS1 that play a critical role in FGF-2 controlled oncogenic pathways. We show that IER3 and IER3-AS1 regulate each other's transcription through HnRNPK-mediated post-transcriptional regulation. HnRNPK controls the mRNA stability and colocalization of IER3 and IER3-AS1. HnRNPK interaction with IER3 and IER3-AS1 determines their oncogenic functions by maintaining them in a single-stranded form. hnRNPK depletion neutralizes their oncogenic functions through promoting dsRNA formation and cytoplasmic accumulation. Intriguingly, hnRNPK loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiments reveal its role in maintaining global single- and double-stranded RNA. Thus, our data unveil the critical role of HnRNPK in maintaining single-stranded RNAs and their physiological functions by blocking RNA-RNA interactions.
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| 2. |
- Baladi, Tom, 1991, et al.
(författare)
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Stealth Fluorescence Labeling for Live Microscopy Imaging of mRNA Delivery
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-5126 .- 0002-7863. ; 143:14, s. 5413-5424
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Methods for tracking RNA inside living cells without perturbing their natural interactions and functions are critical within biology and, in particular, to facilitate studies of therapeutic RNA delivery. We present a stealth labeling approach that can efficiently, and with high fidelity, generate RNA transcripts, through enzymatic incorporation of the triphosphate of tCO, a fluorescent tricyclic cytosine analogue. We demonstrate this by incorporation of tCO in up to 100% of the natural cytosine positions of a 1.2 kb mRNA encoding for the histone H2B fused to GFP (H2B:GFP). Spectroscopic characterization of this mRNA shows that the incorporation rate of tCO is similar to cytosine, which allows for efficient labeling and controlled tuning of labeling ratios for different applications. Using live cell confocal microscopy and flow cytometry, we show that the tCO-labeled mRNA is efficiently translated into H2B:GFP inside human cells. Hence, we not only develop the use of fluorescent base analogue labeling of nucleic acids in live-cell microscopy but also, importantly, show that the resulting transcript is translated into the correct protein. Moreover, the spectral properties of our transcripts and their translation product allow for their straightforward, simultaneous visualization in live cells. Finally, we find that chemically transfected tCO-labeled RNA, unlike a state-of-the-art fluorescently labeled RNA, gives rise to expression of a similar amount of protein as its natural counterpart, hence representing a methodology for studying natural, unperturbed processing of mRNA used in RNA therapeutics and in vaccines, like the ones developed against SARS-CoV-2.
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| 3. |
- Ban, Zeljka, et al.
(författare)
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Flexibility and Preorganization of Fluorescent Nucleobase-Pyrene Conjugates Control DNA and RNA Recognition
- 2020
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Ingår i: Molecules. - : MDPI AG. - 1420-3049 .- 1420-3049. ; 25:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We synthesized a new amino acid-fluorescent nucleobase derivative (qAN1-AA) and from it two new fluorescent nucleobase-fluorophore (pyrene) conjugates, whereby only the analogue with the longer and more flexible linker (qAN1-pyr2) self-folded into intramolecularly stacked qAN1/pyrene conformation, yielding characteristic, 100 nm-red-shifted emission (lambda(max) = 500 nm). On the contrary, the shorter and more rigid linker resulted in non-stacked conformation (qAN1-pyr1), characterized by the emission of free pyrene at lambda(max) = 400 nm. Both fluorescent nucleobase-fluorophore (pyrene) conjugates strongly interacted with ds-DNA/RNA grooves with similar affinity but opposite fluorescence response (due to pre-organization), whereas the amino acid-fluorescent base derivative (qAN1-AA) was inactive. However, only intramolecularly self-folded qAN1-pyr2 showed strong fluorescence selectivity toward poly U (Watson-Crick complementary to qAN1 nucleobase) and poly A (reverse Hoogsteen complementary to qAN1 nucleobase), while an opposite emission change was observed for non-complementary poly G and poly C. Non-folded analogue (qAN1-pyr1) showed no ss-RNA selectivity, demonstrating the importance of nucleobase-fluorophore pre-organization.
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| 4. |
- Bood, Mattias, et al.
(författare)
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Interbase-FRET binding assay for pre-microRNAs
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRs) has been linked to several human diseases. A promising approach for targeting these anomalies is the use of small-molecule inhibitors of miR biogenesis. These inhibitors have the potential to (i) dissect miR mechanisms of action, (ii) discover new drug targets, and (iii) function as new therapeutic agents. Here, we designed Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-labeled oligoribonucleotides of the precursor of the oncogenic miR-21 (pre-miR-21) and used them together with a set of aminoglycosides to develop an interbase-FRET assay to detect ligand binding to pre-miRs. Our interbase-FRET assay accurately reports structural changes of the RNA oligonucleotide induced by ligand binding. We demonstrate its application in a rapid, qualitative drug candidate screen by assessing the relative binding affinity between 12 aminoglycoside antibiotics and pre-miR-21. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) were used to validate our new FRET method, and the accuracy of our FRET assay was shown to be similar to the established techniques. With its advantages over SPR and ITC owing to its high sensitivity, small sample size, straightforward technique and the possibility for high-throughput expansion, we envision that our solution-based method can be applied in pre-miRNA-target binding studies.
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| 5. |
- Füchtbauer, Anders Foller, 1984, et al.
(författare)
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Lighting Up DNA with the Environment-Sensitive Bright Adenine Analogue qAN4
- 2020
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Ingår i: Chempluschem. - : Wiley. - 2192-6506. ; 85:2, s. 319-326
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The fluorescent adenine analogue qAN4 was recently shown to possess promising photophysical properties, including a high brightness as a monomer. Here we report the synthesis of the phosphoramidite of qAN4 and its successful incorporation into DNA oligonucleotides using standard solid-phase synthesis. Circular dichroism and thermal melting studies indicate that the qAN4-modification has a stabilizing effect on the B-form of DNA. Moreover, qAN4 base-pairs selectively with thymine with mismatch penalties similar to those of mismatches of adenine. The low energy absorption band of qAN4 inside DNA has its peak around 358 nm and the emission in duplex DNA is partly quenched and blue-shifted (ca. 410 nm), compared to the monomeric form. The spectral properties of the fluorophore also show sensitivity to pH; a property that may find biological applications. Quantum yields in single-stranded DNA range from 1-29 % and in duplex DNA from 1-7 %. In combination with the absorptive properties, this gives an average brightness inside duplex DNA of 275 M-1 cm(-1), more than five times higher than the most used environment-sensitive fluorescent base analogue, 2-aminopurine. Finally, we show that qAN4 can be used to advantage as a donor for interbase FRET applications in combination with adenine analogue qA(nitro) as an acceptor.
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| 6. |
- Le, Hoang Ngoan, 1989, et al.
(författare)
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Synthesis and photophysical characterization of a pH-sensitive quadracyclic uridine (qU) analogue
- 2024
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Ingår i: Chemistry - A European Journal. - 1521-3765 .- 0947-6539. ; 30:18
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fluorescent base analogues (FBAs) have become useful tools for applications in biophysical chemistry, chemical biology, live-cell imaging, and RNA therapeutics. Herein, two synthetic routes towards a novel FBA of uracil named qU (quadracyclic uracil/uridine) are described. The qU nucleobase bears a tetracyclic fused ring system and is designed to allow for specific Watson-Crick base pairing with adenine. We find that qU absorbs light in the visible region of the spectrum and emits brightly with a quantum yield of 27 % and a dual-band character in a wide pH range. With evidence, among other things, from fluorescence lifetime measurements we suggest that this dual emission feature results from an excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) process. Furthermore, we find that both absorption and emission of qU are highly sensitive to pH. The high brightness in combination with excitation in the visible and pH responsiveness makes qU an interesting native-like nucleic acid label in spectroscopy and microscopy applications in, for example, the field of mRNA and antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapeutics.
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| 7. |
- Nilsson, Jesper, 1984, et al.
(författare)
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Fluorescent base analogues in gapmers enable stealth labeling of antisense oligonucleotide therapeutics
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322 .- 2045-2322. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To expand the antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) fluorescence labeling toolbox beyond covalent conjugation of external dyes (e.g. ATTO-, Alexa Fluor-, or cyanine dyes), we herein explore fluorescent base analogues (FBAs) as a novel approach to endow fluorescent properties to ASOs. Both cytosine and adenine analogues (tC, tCO, 2CNqA, and pA) were incorporated into a 16mer ASO sequence with a 3-10-3 cEt-DNA-cEt (cEt = constrained ethyl) gapmer design. In addition to a comprehensive photophysical characterization, we assess the label-induced effects on the gapmers’ RNA affinities, RNA-hybridized secondary structures, and knockdown efficiencies. Importantly, we find practically no perturbing effects for gapmers with single FBA incorporations in the biologically critical gap region and, except for pA, the FBAs do not affect the knockdown efficiencies. Incorporating two cytosine FBAs in the gap is equally well tolerated, while two adenine analogues give rise to slightly reduced knockdown efficiencies and what could be perturbed secondary structures. We furthermore show that the FBAs can be used to visualize gapmers inside live cells using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, enabling comparative assessment of their uptake. This altogether shows that FBAs are functional ASO probes that provide a minimally perturbing in-sequence labeling option for this highly relevant drug modality.
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| 8. |
- Nilsson, Jesper, 1984, et al.
(författare)
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Multiphoton characterization and live cell imaging using fluorescent adenine analogue 2CNqA
- 2023
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Ingår i: Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. - 1463-9084 .- 1463-9076. ; 25:30, s. 20218-20224
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fluorescent nucleobase analogues (FBAs) are established tools for studying oligonucleotide structure, dynamics and interactions, and have recently also emerged as an attractive option for labeling RNA-based therapeutics. A recognized drawback of FBAs, however, is that they typically require excitation in the UV region, which for imaging in biological samples may have disadvantages related to phototoxicity, tissue penetration, and out-of-focus photobleaching. Multiphoton excitation has the potential to alleviate these issues and therefore, in this work, we characterize the multiphoton absorption properties and detectability of the highly fluorescent quadracyclic adenine analogue 2CNqA as a ribonucleotide monomer as well as incorporated, at one or two positions, into a 16mer antisense oligonucleotide (ASO). We found that 2CNqA has a two-photon absorption cross section that, among FBAs, is exceptionally high, with values of & sigma;(2PA)(700 nm) = 5.8 GM, 6.8 GM, and 13 GM for the monomer, single-, and double-labelled oligonucleotide, respectively. Using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, we show that the 2CNqA has a high 2P brightness as the monomer and when incorporated into the ASO, comparing favorably to other FBAs. We furthermore demonstrate the usefulness of the 2P imaging mode for improving detectability of 2CNqA-labelled ASOs in live cells.
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| 9. |
- Saarnio, Ville K., et al.
(författare)
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Development of functionalized SYBR green II related cyanine dyes for viral RNA detection
- 2020
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Ingår i: Dyes and Pigments. - : Elsevier BV. - 0143-7208 .- 1873-3743. ; 177
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fluorescent probes for sensing nucleic acids have found widespread use in the field of cell and molecular biology. However, probes combined with potential for post-synthetic conjugation, e.g. for intra-endosomal measurements of RNA, are unavailable. Herein we developed cyanine dyes that can be conjugated to viral capsid or other targets. First, we solved the crystal structure of SYBR Green II. The structural elucidation of this commonly used RNA probe provided the basis for synthesizing similar molecules with much desired function for post-synthetic conjugation. To address this need, cyanine dyes were prepared using an alternative synthesis protocol. All studied compounds showed considerable brightness upon binding to nucleic acids. However, regardless of the common chromophore on the dyes, the observed fluorescence emission intensities varied significantly, where methyl-substituted dye 1 gave values higher than SYBR Green II, whereas compounds 2–5 containing undecyl spacers had lower values. Studying the structure-activity relationship revealed the longer alkyl chains to induce slight perturbation in dye intercalation, as well as demand larger binding area on the nucleic acid lattice, explaining these differences. To study the potential biological use of the dyes, the RNA genome of enterovirus echovirus 1 was studied in vitro with the probes. A novel method employing the low binding space requirement of 1 was developed to determine the single-to-double-stranded RNA ratio of a sample, whereas compound 4 was covalently bound to the viral capsid and used successfully to monitor the viral RNA release from within the capsid. The presented results open new possibilities for preparation and use of SYBR Green-based nucleic acid probes to further apply these compounds for increasingly demanding targeting in biological contexts.
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| 10. |
- Sundar Rajan, Vinoth, 1987, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring the conformational dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 SL4 hairpin by combining optical tweezers and base analogues
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nanoscale. - 2040-3372 .- 2040-3364. ; 16:2, s. 752-764
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The parasitic nature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus demands selective packaging of its RNA genome (gRNA) from the abundance of other nucleic acids present in infected cells. Despite increasing evidence that stem-loop 4 (SL4) of the gRNA 5′ UTR is involved in the initiation of this process by binding the nucleocapsid (N) protein, little is known about its conformational dynamics. Here, we unravel the stability, dynamics and (un)folding pathways of SL4 using optical tweezers and a base analogue, tCO, that provides a local and subtle increase in base stacking without perturbing hydrogen bonding. We find that SL4 (un)folds mainly in a single step or through an intermediate, encompassing nucleotides from the central U bulge to the hairpin loop. Due to an upper-stem CU mismatch, SL4 is prone to misfold, the extent of which can be tuned by incorporating tCO at different positions. Our study contributes to a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 packaging and the design of drugs targeting SL4. We also highlight the generalizability of using base analogues in optical tweezers experiments for probing intramolecular states and conformational transitions of various nucleic acids at the level of single molecules and with base-pair resolution.
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