Thrombin-binding aptamer (TBA) is a DNA 15-mer of sequence 5′-GGT TGG TGT GGT TGG-3′ that folds into a G-quadruplex structure linked by two T-T loops located on one side and a T-G-T loop on the other. These loops are critical for post-SELEX modification to improve TBA target affinity. With this goal in mind we synthesized a T analog, 5-(indolyl-3-acetyl-3-amino-1-propenyl)-2′-deoxyuridine (W) to substitute one T or a pair of Ts. Subsequently, the affinity for each analog was determined by biolayer interferometry. An aptamer with W at position 4 exhibited about 3-fold increased binding affinity, and replacing both T4 and T12 with W afforded an almost 10-fold enhancement compared to native TBA. To better understand the role of the substituent’s aromatic moiety, an aptamer with 5-(methyl-3-acetyl-3-amino-1-propenyl)-2′-deoxyuridine (K; W without the indole moiety) in place of T4 was also synthesized. This K4 aptamer was found to improve affinity 7-fold relative to native TBA. Crystal structures of aptamers with T4 replaced by either W or K bound to thrombin provide insight into the origins of the increased affinities. Our work demonstrates that facile chemical modification of a simple DNA aptamer can be used to significantly improve its binding affinity for a well-established pharmacological target protein.

We report the design and synthesis of 2′-fluoro cyclohexenyl nucleic acid (F-CeNA) pyrimidine phosphoramidites and the synthesis and biophysical, structural, and biological evaluation of modified oligonucleotides. The synthesis of the nucleoside phosphoramidites was accomplished in multigram quantities starting from commercially available methyl-D-mannose pyranoside. Installation of the fluorine atom was accomplished using nonafluorobutanesulfonyl fluoride, and the cyclohexenyl ring system was assembled by means of a palladium-catalyzed Ferrier rearrangement. Installation of the nucleobase was carried out under Mitsunobu conditions followed by standard protecting group manipulations to provide the desired pyrimidine phosphoramidites. Biophysical evaluation indicated that F-CeNA shows behavior similar to that of a 2′-modified nucleotide, and duplexes with RNA showed slightly lower duplex thermostability as compared to that of the more rigid 3′-fluoro hexitol nucleic acid (FHNA). However, F-CeNA modified oligonucleotides were significantly more stable against digestion by snake venom phosphodiesterases (SVPD) as compared to unmodified DNA, 2′-fluoro RNA (FRNA), 2′-methoxyethyl RNA (MOE), and FHNA modified oligonucleotides. Examination of crystal structures of a modified DNA heptamer duplex d(GCG)-T*-d(GCG):d(CGCACGC) by X-ray crystallography indicated that the cyclohexenyl ring system exhibits both the 3H2 and 2H3 conformations, similar to the C3′-endo/C2′-endo conformation equilibrium seen in natural furanose nucleosides. In the 2H3 conformation, the equatorial fluorine engages in a relatively close contact with C8 (2.94 Å) of the 3′-adjacent dG nucleotide that may represent a pseudo hydrogen bond. In contrast, the cyclohexenyl ring of F-CeNA was found to exist exclusively in the 3H2 (C3′-endo like) conformation in the crystal structure of the modified A-form DNA decamer duplex [d(GCGTA)-T*-d(ACGC)]2. In an animal experiment, a 16-mer F-CeNA gapmer ASO showed similar RNA affinity but significantly improved activity compared to that of a sequence matched MOE ASO, thus establishing F-CeNA as a useful modification for antisense applications.

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The well-characterized interaction between the MS2 coat protein and its cognate RNA hairpin was used to evaluate changes in affinity as a result of phosphorodithioate (PS2) replacing phosphate by biolayer interferometry (BLI). A structure-based analysis of the data provides insights into the origins of the enhanced affinity of RNA-protein interactions triggered by the PS2 moiety.

A new buckling equation in horizontal wells is derived on the basis of the general bending and twisting theory of rods. The boundary conditions of a long tubular string are divided into two categories: the sum of the virtual work of bending moment and shear force at the ends of tubular strings is equal to zero, and the sum of the virtual work of bending moment and shear force at the ends is not equal to zero. Buckling solutions under different boundary conditions are obtained by solving the new buckling model. For the boundary conditions of the first category, the buckling solutions are identical with previous results. For the boundary conditions of the second category, the buckling solutions are different from the results under the boundary conditions of the first category. The results indicate that buckling behaviors depend on both the axial force and the boundary conditions. Compared with previous results, buckling solutions of the new model provide a more comprehensive description of tubular-buckling behaviors.