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Flemmich L, Bereiter R, Micura R. Chemical Synthesis of Modified RNA. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024:e202403063. [PMID: 38529723 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202403063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Revised: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Ribonucleic acids (RNAs) play a vital role in living organisms. Many of their cellular functions depend critically on chemical modification. Methods to modify RNA in a controlled manner-both in vitro and in vivo-are thus essential to evaluate and understand RNA biology at the molecular and mechanistic levels. The diversity of modifications, combined with the size and uniformity of RNA (made up of only 4 nucleotides) makes its site-specific modification a challenging task that needs to be addressed by complementary approaches. One such approach is solid-phase RNA synthesis. We discuss recent developments in this field, starting with new protection concepts in the ongoing effort to overcome current size limitations. We continue with selected modifications that have posed significant challenges for their incorporation into RNA. These include deazapurine bases required for atomic mutagenesis to elucidate mechanistic aspects of catalytic RNAs, and RNA containing xanthosine, N4-acetylcytidine, 5-hydroxymethylcytidine, 3-methylcytidine, 2'-OCF3, and 2'-N3 ribose modifications. We also discuss the all-chemical synthesis of 5'-capped mRNAs and the enzymatic ligation of chemically synthesized oligoribonucleotides to obtain long RNA with multiple distinct modifications, such as those needed for single-molecule FRET studies. Finally, we highlight promising developments in RNA-catalyzed RNA modification using cofactors that transfer bioorthogonal functionalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurin Flemmich
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Raphael Bereiter
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ronald Micura
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
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Wang LL, Wu CQ, Zhang QL, Wang Y, Liu Y, Yang WJ, Ye SL, Tian Y, Xu L. Chemically Cross-Linked Hammerhead Ribozyme as an Efficient RNA Interference Tool. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:6665-6674. [PMID: 38412223 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c12702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
RNA-cleaving ribozymes are promising candidates as general tools of RNA interference (RNAi) in gene manipulation. However, compared with other RNA systems, such as siRNA and CRISPR technologies, the ribozyme tools are still far from broad applications on RNAi due to their poor performance in the cellular context. In this work, we report an efficient RNAi tool based on chemically modified hammerhead ribozyme (HHR). By the introduction of an intramolecular linkage into the minimal HHR to reconstruct the distal interaction within the tertiary ribozyme structure, this cross-linked HHR exhibits efficient RNA substrate cleavage activities with almost no sequence constraint. Cellular experiments suggest that both exogenous and endogenous RNA expression can be dramatically knocked down by this HHR tool with levels comparable to those of siRNA. Unlike the widely applied protein-recruiting RNA systems (siRNA and CRISPR), this ribozyme tool functions solely on RNA itself with great simplicity, which may provide a new approach for gene manipulation in both fundamental and translational studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang-Liang Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
- School of Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Chao-Qun Wu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Qiu-Long Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Technology, Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Analysis and Laboratory Medicine of Fujian Province, Putian University, Putian 351100, China
| | - Yang Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Yan Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Wen-Jian Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Sen-Lin Ye
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Yongqiang Tian
- School of Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Liang Xu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
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Kennebeck MM, Kaminsky CK, Massa MA, Das PK, Boyd RD, Bishka M, Tricarico JT, Silverman SK. DNAzyme-Catalyzed Site-Specific N-Acylation of DNA Oligonucleotide Nucleobases. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202317565. [PMID: 38157448 PMCID: PMC10873475 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202317565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
We used in vitro selection to identify DNAzymes that acylate the exocyclic nucleobase amines of cytidine, guanosine, and adenosine in DNA oligonucleotides. The acyl donor was the 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenyl ester (TFPE) of a 5'-carboxyl oligonucleotide. Yields are as high as >95 % in 6 h. Several of the N-acylation DNAzymes are catalytically active with RNA rather than DNA oligonucleotide substrates, and eight of nine DNAzymes for modifying C are site-specific (>95 %) for one particular substrate nucleotide. These findings expand the catalytic ability of DNA to include site-specific N-acylation of oligonucleotide nucleobases. Future efforts will investigate the DNA and RNA substrate sequence generality of DNAzymes for oligonucleotide nucleobase N-acylation, toward a universal approach for site-specific oligonucleotide modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan M Kennebeck
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL-61801, USA
| | - Caroline K Kaminsky
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL-61801, USA
| | - Maria A Massa
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL-61801, USA
| | - Prakriti K Das
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL-61801, USA
| | - Robert D Boyd
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL-61801, USA
| | - Michelle Bishka
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL-61801, USA
| | - J Tomas Tricarico
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL-61801, USA
| | - Scott K Silverman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL-61801, USA
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Li B, Qu L, Yang J. RNA-Guided RNA Modifications: Biogenesis, Functions, and Applications. Acc Chem Res 2023; 56:3198-3210. [PMID: 37931323 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.3c00474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
ConspectusPost-transcriptional modifications are ubiquitous in both protein-coding and noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), playing crucial functional roles in diverse biological processes across all kingdoms of life. These RNA modifications can be achieved through two distinct mechanisms: RNA-independent and RNA-guided (also known as RNA-dependent). In the RNA-independent mechanism, modifications are directly introduced onto RNA molecules by enzymes without the involvement of other RNA molecules, while the cellular RNA-guided RNA modification system exists in the form of RNA-protein complexes, wherein one guide RNA collaborates with a set of proteins, including the modifying enzyme. The primary function of guide RNAs lies in their ability to bind to complementary regions within the target RNAs, orchestrating the installation of specific modifications. Both mechanisms offer unique advantages and are critical to the diverse and dynamic landscape of RNA modifications. RNA-independent modifications provide rapid and direct modification of RNA molecules, while RNA-guided mechanisms offer precise and programmable means to introduce modifications at specific RNA sites. Recently, emerging evidence has shed light on RNA-guided RNA modifications as a captivating area of research, providing precise and programmable control over RNA sequences and functions.In this Account, we focus on RNA modifications synthesized in an RNA-guided manner, including 2'-O-methylated nucleotides (Nm), pseudouridine (Ψ), N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C), and inosine (I). This Account sheds light on the intricate processes of biogenesis and elucidates the regulatory roles of these modifications in RNA metabolism. These roles include pivotal functions such as RNA stability, translation, and splicing, where each modification contributes to the diverse and finely tuned regulatory landscape of RNA biology. In addition to elucidating the biogenesis and functions of these modifications, we also provide an overview of high-throughput methods and their underlying biochemical principles used for the transcriptome-wide investigation of these modifications and their fundamental interactions in RNA-guided systems. This includes exploring RNA-protein interactions and RNA-RNA interactions, which play crucial roles in the dynamic regulatory networks of RNA-guided modifications. The ever-advancing methodologies have greatly enhanced our understanding of the dynamic and widespread nature of RNA-guided RNA modifications and their regulatory functions. Furthermore, the applications of RNA-guided RNA modifications are discussed, illuminating their potential in diverse fields. From basic research to gene therapy, the programmable nature of RNA-guided modifications presents exciting opportunities for manipulating gene expression and developing innovative therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275 Guangdong, China
| | - Lianghu Qu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275 Guangdong, China
| | - Jianhua Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275 Guangdong, China
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, China
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Cornelissen NV, Rentmeister A. Ribozyme for stabilized SAM analogue modifies RNA in cells. Nat Chem 2023; 15:1486-1487. [PMID: 37907605 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-023-01354-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
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