Cationic oligonucleotide derivatives and conjugates: A favorable approach for enhanced DNA and RNA targeting oligonucleotides

• Mathias B. Danielsen and
• Jesper Wengel

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1828–1848, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.125

• negatively charged phosphorus-based linkages. ASOs have the distinctive ability to bind endogenous nucleic acid targets in a sequence-specific manner, thereby inhibiting gene expression and offering opportunities for the treatment of a broad range of diseases. As ASOs interact with their RNA (or DNA) targets

• . The key features of ASOs further enable them to be transformed into personalized medicines, eventually even targeting patient-specific sequences and very rare diseases [1]. ASOs can mediate gene silencing via different mechanisms of action. ASOs that induce RNase H degradation of the endogenous RNA

• silencing without side-effects has turned out to be challenging. These side-effects have been shown to emerge due to off-target interactions [6][7][8][9][10][11], toxicities [12] or saturation of RNA-processing pathways [13]. Additionally, the delivery of ASOs to the target tissues or organs is a major

A systems-based framework to computationally describe putative transcription factors and signaling pathways regulating glycan biosynthesis

• Theodore Groth,
• Rudiyanto Gunawan and
• Sriram Neelamegham

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1712–1724, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.119

• pathways is largely unknown. In this work, we performed data mining of TF–glycogene relationships from the Cistrome Cancer database (DB), which integrates chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-Seq) and RNA-Seq data to constitute regulatory relationships. In total, we observed 22,654 potentially

• proximal to the promoter regions of genes, facilitating the binding of RNA polymerases. They may homotropically or heterotropically associate with additional TFs in order to directly or indirectly control messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. Among the TFs, some “pioneer factors” can pervasively regulate gene

• their tissue-specific expression, DNA binding domains, and nucleosome interaction sequences [3]. Additional factors regulating transcriptional activity include: i) cofactors and small molecules that enable TF-DNA recognition and RNA polymerase recruitment [3]; ii) chromatin modifications, such as

Volatile emission and biosynthesis in endophytic fungi colonizing black poplar leaves

• Christin Walther,
• Pamela Baumann,
• Katrin Luck,
• Beate Rothe,
• Peter H. W. Biedermann,
• Jonathan Gershenzon,
• Tobias G. Köllner and
• Sybille B. Unsicker

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1698–1711, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.118

• trees We identified 12 endophyte species from nine different genera by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the nuclear ribosomal RNA cistron. Two species were identified from the genus Alternaria, three from Didymella, two from Aureobasidium, and one each from Arthrinium

• representative total ion chromatogram for each fungus is shown in Supporting Information File 1, Figure S1. Mass spectra of unknown compounds are shown in Supporting Information File 1, Figure S2. Fungal RNA extraction, reverse transcription, and sequencing Total RNA was isolated from fresh mycelium

• (approximately 5 cm in diameter) growing on PDA using the RNeasy® Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The RNA concentration was assessed using a spectrophotometer (NanoDrop 2000c, Thermo Fisher Scientific). RNA was treated with DNase I (Thermo Fisher Scientific) prior to cDNA

Chemical approaches to discover the full potential of peptide nucleic acids in biomedical applications

• Nikita Brodyagin,
• Martins Katkevics,
• Venubabu Kotikam,
• Christopher A. Ryan and
• Eriks Rozners

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1641–1688, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.116

• amide linkages, to form strong and sequence specific complexes with natural DNA and RNA [3]. As will be discussed below, despite extensive studies [4][5][6], relatively few modifications have improved this simple original design. Since its inception, PNA has become an extremely useful research tool and

• negative charge on PNA’s backbone. Electrostatic repulsion of the negatively charged phosphates dominates the conformational properties and structure of nucleic acids. In contrast to proteins that prefer to fold in compact structures, DNA and RNA inherently prefer extended conformations that minimize the

• electrostatic repulsion. The maintenance and function of long double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) is achieved through complex mechanisms involving histones and other proteins. Large non-coding RNAs (e.g., ribosomes) manage electrostatic repulsion using positively charged RNA-binding proteins and cations (e.g

Total synthesis of ent-pavettamine

• Memory Zimuwandeyi,
• Manuel A. Fernandes,
• Amanda L. Rousseau and
• Moira L. Bode

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1440–1446, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.99

• , connected by one or more unsubstituted methylene linkages, within their structure [2]. The interest in polyamines arises from the diverse roles and functions they play in biological systems [3][4]; for example, as stabilizers of RNA and DNA, secondary messengers, nutrients, antioxidants, growth factors, and

Double-headed nucleosides: Synthesis and applications

• Vineet Verma,
• Jyotirmoy Maity,
• Vipin K. Maikhuri,
• Ritika Sharma,
• Himal K. Ganguly and
• Ashok K. Prasad

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1392–1439, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.98

• of deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) or ribonucleic acids (RNA), which contain either a purine or pyrimidine nucleobase and a furanosyl moiety of pentose sugars, 2′-deoxyribose or ribose [1][2]. Nucleotides are constituted by addition of a phosphate group at the 5′-position of the nucleosides and these

• monomeric units polymerize to construct nucleic acids (DNA or RNA). These macromolecules preserve and express genetic information in all living cells and viruses. Modified nucleosides are a class of organic compounds which are unnatural and have an altered/substituted nucleobase and/or a modified pentose

• ′-deoxyuridine forming the double-headed nucleosides 14 and 15, respectively (Scheme 4) [43]. Both double-headed nucleosides 14 and 15, when incorporated into oligonucleotides were found to stabilize three-way junction in both DNA–DNA and DNA–RNA duplexes and when introduced into a (+1)-zipper motif, cross

Antiviral therapy in shrimp through plant virus VLP containing VP28 dsRNA against WSSV

• Santiago Ramos-Carreño,
• Ivone Giffard-Mena,
• Jose N. Zamudio-Ocadiz,
• Alfredo Nuñez-Rivera,
• Ricardo Valencia-Yañez,
• Jaime Ruiz-Garcia,
• Maria Teresa Viana and
• Ruben D. Cadena-Nava

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1360–1373, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.95

• therapy using double-stranded RNA interference (dsRNAi) by intramuscular injection (IM) has proven the most effective shrimp protection against WSSV. However, IM treatment is still not viable for shrimp farms. The challenge is to develop an efficient oral delivery system that manages to avoid the

• degradation of antiviral RNA molecules. The present work demonstrates that VLPs (virus-like particles) allow efficient delivery of dsRNAi as antiviral therapy in shrimp. In particular, VLPs derived from a virus that infects plants, such as cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV), in which the capsid protein (CP

• control [7]. So far several strategies have been reported to control the WSSV, including activation of the immune system, DNA vaccines, herbal extracts, and RNA interference (RNAi) [8][9]. Among them, the RNAi technology has shown great potential to protect shrimp against the WSSV in some lab-scale

Beyond ribose and phosphate: Selected nucleic acid modifications for structure–function investigations and therapeutic applications

• Christopher Liczner,
• Kieran Duke,
• Gabrielle Juneau,
• Martin Egli and
• Christopher J. Wilds

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 908–931, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.76

• oligonucleotides that have been explored for gene silencing. Keywords: antisense; chemically modified oligonucleotides; crystallography; siRNA; structure; Introduction The natural nucleic acids sugar-phosphate backbone comes in two flavors, 2'-deoxyribose in DNA and ribose in RNA. However, this relative

• simplicity combined with the five natural bases, adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), thymine (T) and uracil (U, in RNA) belies the fact that both DNA and RNA are decorated with chemical modifications. For a catalogue of natural modifications in DNA, see https://dnamod.hoffmanlab.org/ [1], and in RNA, see

• phosphorothioate Rp-stereoisomer (Rp-PS, i.e., phosphate with one of the non-bridging oxygens replaced by sulfur) in bacterial genomes, where it may serve a protective role against nucleases [4] and its loss results in genomic instability [5]. There are over a hundred known base modifications in RNA and the Rp-PS

Enhanced target cell specificity and uptake of lipid nanoparticles using RNA aptamers and peptides

• Roslyn M. Ray,
• Anders Højgaard Hansen,
• Maria Taskova,
• Bernhard Jandl,
• Jonas Hansen,
• Citra Soemardy,
• Kevin V. Morris and
• Kira Astakhova

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 891–907, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.75

• LNPs that can cross the BBB, we developed and assessed two approaches. The first was centered on the BBB-penetrating trans-activator of transcription (Tat) peptide or the peptide T7, and the other on RNA aptamers targeted to glycoprotein gp160 from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or C-C chemokine

• receptor type 5 (CCR5), a HIV-1 coreceptor. We report herein a CCR5-selective RNA aptamer that acts to facilitate entry through a simplified BBB model and that drives the uptake of LNPs into CCR5-expressing cells, while the gp160 aptamer did not. We further observed that the addition of cell-penetrating

• ) represent an effective platform for delivering small molecules, RNA, or DNA into target cells [1]. LNPs have been successfully deployed via different administration routes in vivo to distribute cargo into target tissues [2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. By changing lipid composition [6] and/or including short peptides

DNA with zwitterionic and negatively charged phosphate modifications: Formation of DNA triplexes, duplexes and cell uptake studies

• Yongdong Su,
• Maitsetseg Bayarjargal,
• Tracy K. Hale and
• Vyacheslav V. Filichev

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 749–761, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.65

• incorporated into the oligodeoxynucleotides (ONs). For both N+ and Ts-modified ONs, the antiparallel duplexes formed with complementary RNA were more stable than those formed with complementary DNA (except for ONs with modification in the middle of the sequence). Additionally, the incorporation of N

• The ability to detect and modify the genome of living organisms is important for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of many diseases [1]. The site-specific targeting and manipulation of genomic DNA or RNA using chemically modified short oligodeoxynucleotides (ONs) is considered to be a viable

• parallel triple-helix structure, a polypyrimidine TFO binds to dsDNA through Hoogsteen base-pairing [17], in which the cytosine bases in the TFO are protonated at the N3 atom (Figure 1B). In antisense strategies, antisense ONs (AOs) interact with RNA molecules to interfere with protein expression [18][19

Synthesis and properties of oligonucleotides modified with an N-methylguanidine-bridged nucleic acid (GuNA[Me]) bearing adenine, guanine, or 5-methylcytosine nucleobases

• Naohiro Horie,
• Takao Yamaguchi,
• Shinji Kumagai and
• Satoshi Obika

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 622–629, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.54

• . For applications in antisense technology, chemical modifications aimed at enhancing the duplex-forming ability toward a target RNA (i.e., a complementary single-stranded RNA) and improving the stability against enzymatic degradations are commonly utilized. For instance, antisense oligonucleotides

•  1). In our previous studies, DNA/RNA (A-form) duplexes containing a multiple GuNA[H] modification displayed similar spectral patterns to the natural and the 2',4'-BNA/LNA-modified counterparts [19]. Since GuNA[Me] showed similar results to GuNA[H] in terms of the duplex-forming ability [25], a

¹⁹F NMR as a tool in chemical biology

• Diana Gimenez,
• Aoife Phelan,
• Cormac D. Murphy and
• Steven L. Cobb

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 293–318, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.28

• their functional architecture. Such an approach typically includes the use of a variety of high-resolution proteomic tools, cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography to achieve full molecular characterization at the atomic level. However, macromolecules such as DNA/RNA and proteins are not

• -structural protein 1 (NS1A) homodimer (Figure 9) [64]. Protein NS1A is a highly conserved virulence factor from influenza virus (H3N2) comprised of an N-terminal double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-binding domain (RBD) and a multifunctional C-terminal effector domain (ED), each of which can independently form

• distance restraints for ion channels and other protein complexes that would be difficult to be defined by using other analytical tools. DNA and RNA secondary and tertiary structure 19F NMR spectroscopy also represents a useful analytical approach to study the structure, function and molecular dynamics of

Molecular basis for protein–protein interactions

• Brandon Charles Seychell and
• Tobias Beck

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1–10, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.1

• (or any other organic molecule [19]) structure. A resolution of up to 0.6 Å (RNA-binding protein FUS, residues 37–42, EMD-0699, PDB: 6KJ4 [20]) were obtained when using this method. Nannenga and Gonen gave a detailed account on MicroED [21]. As another category, mass spectrometry methods are used to

• more complicated systems, such as in cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV), the viral capsid is made up of different assembly units. In vivo, viral nucleic acids may serve as biological scaffold to attract free assembly units [84] and organise on the surface [85]. Assembly with viral RNA present can be

• cooperativity, whereas as a value greater than 1000 represents a high cooperativity, with the assembly occurring in two steps. CCMV shows a low cooperativity, and thus assembles gradually [87]. In contrast, HBV binds to RNA with a high cooperativity, resulting in a quantified assembly [88]. These results show

Incorporation of a metal-mediated base pair into an ATP aptamer – using silver(I) ions to modulate aptamer function

• Marius H. Heddinga and
• Jens Müller

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2870–2879, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.236

• phosphoramidite-protected imidazole nucleoside as required for automated DNA solid-phase synthesis was synthesized as previously reported [30]. The oligonucleotides were synthesized on a DNA/RNA synthesizer H-8 (K&A Laborgeräte) using standard protocols for automated solid-phase synthesis (coupling time: 1000 s

Changed reactivity of secondary hydroxy groups in C8-modified adenosine – lessons learned from silylation

• Jennifer Frommer and
• Sabine Müller

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2854–2861, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.234

• oligonucleotides has become a major tool for RNA structure and function studies. Reporter groups or specific functional entities are required to be attached at a pre-defined site of the oligomer. An attractive strategy is the incorporation of suitably functionalized building blocks that allow post-synthetic

• being preferentially formed. Optimization of the protection scheme lead to a new and economic route to the desired C8-alkynylated building block and its incorporation in RNA. Keywords: nucleoside chemistry; protecting groups; RNA synthesis; Sonogashira reaction; Introduction Oligoribonucleotides

• . Accordingly, the field has developed to a stage that allows custom-design of RNA probes and tools for specific application. For example, investigations of RNA structures by NMR, EPR, or fluorescence spectroscopy require labeling of the RNA molecules with specific reporter groups [2][4][7][8][9][10]. Likewise

NMR Spectroscopy of supramolecular chemistry on protein surfaces

• Peter Bayer,
• Anja Matena and
• Christine Beuck

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2505–2522, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.203

• multimeric proteins like the hexameric AAA+ ATPase p97 [124]. Furthermore, methyl-TROSY-HMQC has been employed to investigate the allosteric mode of action of the synthetic inhibitor filibuvir to the selectively Ileδ1 methyl-labeled hepatitis C virus RNA polymerase NS5B [125]. This study also includes a good

Tools for generating and analyzing glycan microarray data

• Akul Y. Mehta,
• Jamie Heimburg-Molinaro and
• Richard D. Cummings

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2260–2271, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.187

• structural informatics tools. Keywords: data analysis; glycan binding; glycan microarray; glycomics; informatics; Introduction Glycans represent a major type of biomolecule in all living things, along with DNA, RNA, lipids and proteins [1]. In mammals, glycans commonly occur as post-translational

Naphthalene diimide bis-guanidinio-carbonyl-pyrrole as a pH-switchable threading DNA intercalator

• Poulami Jana,
• Filip Šupljika,
• Carsten Schmuck and
• Ivo Piantanida

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2201–2211, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.185

• -DNAs only at pH 5, while at neutral conditions (pH 7) NDI-GCP2 switched to the DNA minor groove binding. Intriguingly, NDI-GCP2 was at both pH values studied bound to the ds-RNA major groove, still showing a higher affinity and thermal denaturation effect at pH 5 due to GCP protonation. At excess over

• the DNA/RNA conjugate NDI-GCP2 showed also aggregation along the ds-polynucleotide and AFM and DLS demonstrated that NDI-GCP2 has pronounced ds-DNA condensation ability. Keywords: AFM; circular dichroism; DNA/RNA recognition; fluorescence; guanidinio-carbonyl-pyrrole; naphthalene diimide

• ; Introduction The small molecules non-covalently binding to DNA or RNA are essential for life as we know it, and therefore it was not surprising that a huge number of synthetic small molecules has been prepared and studied for broad biochemical and biomedical applications [1][2]. Among the most studied small

Naphthalene diimide–amino acid conjugates as novel fluorimetric and CD probes for differentiation between ds-DNA and ds-RNA

• Annike Weißenstein,
• Myroslav O. Vysotsky,
• Ivo Piantanida and
• Frank Würthner

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2032–2045, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.170

• interacted with ds-DNA/RNA by threading intercalation. Different from a reference NDI dye with identical visible range absorbance (520–540 nm) and Stokes shifts in emission (+60 nm, quantum yield > 0.2), only these amino acid–NDI conjugates showed selective fluorimetric response for GC-DNA in respect to AT(U

• )-polynucleotides. The DNA/RNA binding-induced circular dichroism (ICD) response of NDI at 450–550 nm strongly depended on the length and rigidity of the linker to the amino acid unit, which controls the orientation of the NDI unit inside within the intercalative binding site. The ICD selectivity also depends on

• the type of polynucleotide, thus the studied NDI dyes act as dual fluorimetric/ICD probes for sensing the difference between here used GC-DNA, AT-DNA and AU-RNA. Keywords: amino acid–fluorophore conjugate; circular dichroism; DNA/RNA recognition; fluorescence; intercalation; naphthalene diimide

Synthesis of new dihydroberberine and tetrahydroberberine analogues and evaluation of their antiproliferative activity on NCI-H1975 cells

• Giacomo Mari,
• Lucia De Crescentini,
• Serena Benedetti,
• Francesco Palma,
• Stefania Santeusanio and
• Fabio Mantellini

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 1606–1616, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.133

• activity [13][14][15][16][17][18][19], and an increased DNA and RNA binding efficacy [4][6][9], due to its aromatic interactions with the biological macromolecules [20]. Another interesting and promising derivative is dihydroberberine (DHBER), the reduced form of BER. The enaminic function of this alkaloid

Photocatalyzed syntheses of phenanthrenes and their aza-analogues. A review

• Alessandra Del Tito,
• Havall Othman Abdulla,
• Davide Ravelli,
• Stefano Protti and
• Maurizio Fagnoni

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 1476–1488, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.123

• topoisomerase 1 inhibitor [14] and DNA intercalator), bicolorine (5-methyl-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-j]phenanthridin-5-ium ion, a trypanocidal) [15], and the antimalarian nitidine, as well as ethidium bromide (EB), that has been employed as a DNA- and RNA-fluorescent marker for a long time (some examples are collected

Anthelmintic drug discovery: target identification, screening methods and the role of open science

• Frederick A. Partridge,
• Ruth Forman,
• Carole J. R. Bataille,
• Graham M. Wynne,
• Marina Nick,
• Angela J. Russell,
• Kathryn J. Else and
• David B. Sattelle

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 1203–1224, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.105

• . elegans. A rich diversity of mutants is available via the Caenorhabditis Genetics Centre [91]. The discovery of RNA interference delivered via feeding worms double-stranded DNA [92] has opened the door to genome-scale gene knockdown in the search for new drug targets. These approaches can expedite the

• /pharmacological proof-of-concept for target validation. Whilst RNA interference and CRISPR methodologies are now being applied to parasites themselves [110][111][112], inevitably, large-scale functional genomic resources are mainly found in C. elegans. The C. elegans Gene Knockout Consortium has obtained putative

A smart deoxyribozyme-based fluorescent sensor for in vitro detection of androgen receptor mRNA

• Ekaterina A. Bryushkova,
• Erik R. Gandalipov and
• Julia V. Nuzhina

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 1135–1141, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.100

• receptor mRNA was developed. It consists of several functional modules including two deoxyribozymes 10–23, an RNA-dependent split malachite green aptamer, and an oligonucleotide platform. Deoxyribozymes specifically release a 27-nucleotide RNA fragment that is readily available for the interaction with the

• aptamer module. This solves a problem of secondary structure in hybridization with the target sequence of full-length mRNA. It was shown that within 24 hours the proposed sensor specifically recognized both a synthetic 60-nucleotide RNA fragment (LOD is 1.4 nM of RNA fragment at 37 °C) and a full-sized

• mRNA molecule of the androgen receptor. The constructed sensor is easy to use, has high efficiency and selectivity for the RNA target, and can be reconstructed for the detection of various nucleic acid sequences due to its modular structure. Thus, similar biosensors may be useful for the differential

Microwave-assisted efficient and facile synthesis of tetramic acid derivatives via a one-pot post-Ugi cascade reaction

• Yong Li,
• Zheng Huang,
• Jia Xu,
• Yong Ding,
• Dian-Yong Tang,
• Jie Lei,
• Hong-yu Li,
• Zhong-Zhu Chen and
• Zhi-Gang Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 663–669, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.63

• exhibit a wide range of biological activities, including antibiotic [8], antiviral [9], antifungal [10], phytotoxic [11], cytotoxic [12][13], and enzyme inhibitory activities against bacterial DNA-directed RNA polymerase [14]. The wide range of biological activity and structural variation of this class of

Recent developments in photoredox-catalyzed remote ortho and para C–H bond functionalizations

• Rafia Siddiqui and
• Rashid Ali

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 248–280, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.26

• previously reported methods required high temperatures [118][119][120]. A library of compounds was reported by that group using this approach, and a plausible mechanism is shown in Figure 13. Arylation of purines: Purine bases and purine nucleosides, which are common structural motifs in DNA and RNA, have an