Effect of 2'-5'/3'-5' phosphodiester linkage heterogeneity on RNA interference.

We report on the synthesis of siRNAs containing both 2'-5'- and 3'-5'-internucleotide linkages and their effects on siRNA structure, function, and interaction with RNAi proteins. Screening of these siRNAs against their corresponding mRNA targets showed that 2'-5' linkages were well tolerated in the sense strand, but only at a few positions in the antisense strand. Extensive modification of the antisense strand minimally affected 5'-phosphorylation of the siRNA by kinases, however, it negatively affected siRNA loading into human AGO2. Modelling and molecular dynamics simulations were fully consistent with these findings. Furthermore, our studies indicated that the presence of a single 5'p-rN1-(2'-5')-N2 unit in the antisense strand does not alter the 'clover leaf' bend and sugar puckers that are critical for anchoring the 5'-phosphate to Ago 2 MID domain. Importantly, 2'-5'-linkages had the added benefit of abrogating immune-stimulatory activity of siRNAs. Together, these results demonstrate that 2'-5'/3'-5'-modified siRNAs, when properly designed, can offer an efficient new class of siRNAs with diminished immune-stimulatory responses.

Extensive CRISPR RNA modification reveals chemical compatibility and structure-activity relationships for Cas9 biochemical activity.

CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat) endonucleases are at the forefront of biotechnology, synthetic biology and gene editing. Methods for controlling enzyme properties promise to improve existing applications and enable new technologies. CRISPR enzymes rely on RNA cofactors to guide catalysis. Therefore, chemical modification of the guide RNA can be used to characterize structure-activity relationships within CRISPR ribonucleoprotein (RNP) enzymes and identify compatible chemistries for controlling activity. Here, we introduce chemical modifications to the sugar-phosphate backbone of Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 CRISPR RNA (crRNA) to probe chemical and structural requirements. Ribose sugars that promoted or accommodated A-form helical architecture in and around the crRNA 'seed' region were tolerated best. A wider range of modifications were acceptable outside of the seed, especially D-2'-deoxyribose, and we exploited this property to facilitate exploration of greater chemical diversity within the seed. 2'-fluoro was the most compatible modification whereas bulkier O-methyl sugar modifications were less tolerated. Activity trends could be rationalized for selected crRNAs using RNP stability and DNA target binding experiments. Cas9 activity in vitro tolerated most chemical modifications at predicted 2'-hydroxyl contact positions, whereas editing activity in cells was much less tolerant. The biochemical principles of chemical modification identified here will guide CRISPR-Cas9 engineering and enable new or improved applications.

Site-Selective RNA Functionalization via DNA-Induced Structure.

Methods for RNA functionalization at specific sites are in high demand but remain a challenge, particularly for RNAs produced by transcription rather than by total synthesis. Recent studies have described acylimidazole reagents that react in high yields at 2'-OH groups stochastically at nonbase-paired regions, covering much of the RNA in scattered acyl esters. Localized reactions, if possible, could prove useful in many applications, providing functional handles at specific sites and sequences of the biopolymer. Here, we describe a DNA-directed strategy for in vitro functionalization of RNA at site-localized 2'-OH groups. The method, RNA Acylation at Induced Loops (RAIL), utilizes complementary helper DNA oligonucleotides that expose gaps or loops at selected positions while protecting the remainder in DNA-RNA duplexes. Reaction with an acylimidazole reagent is then carried out, providing high yields of 2'-OH conjugation at predetermined sites. Experiments reveal optimal helper oligodeoxynucleotide designs and conditions for the reaction, and tests of the approach are carried out to control localized ribozyme activities and to label RNAs with dual-color fluorescent dyes. The RAIL approach offers a simple and novel strategy for site-selective labeling and control of RNAs, potentially of any length and origin.

Structural properties and gene-silencing activity of chemically modified DNA-RNA hybrids with parallel orientation.

We report, herein, a new class of RNAi trigger molecules based on the unconventional parallel hybridization of two oligonucleotide chains. We have prepared and studied several parallel stranded (ps) duplexes, in which the parallel orientation is achieved through incorporation of isoguanine and isocytosine to form reverse Watson-Crick base pairs in ps-DNA:DNA, ps-DNA:RNA, ps-(DNA-2'F-ANA):RNA, and ps-DNA:2'F-RNA duplexes. The formation of these duplexes was confirmed by UV melting experiments, FRET and CD studies. In addition, NMR structural studies were conducted on a ps-DNA:RNA hybrid for the first time. Finally, we provide evidence for the unprecedented finding that ps-DNA:RNA and ps-DNA:2'F-RNA hybrids can engage the RNAi pathway to silence gene expression in vitro.

Polyacetate and Polycarbonate RNA: Acylating Reagents and Properties.

Acylation of RNA at 2'-OH groups is widely applied in mapping RNA structure and recently for controlling RNA function. Reactions are described that install the smallest 2-carbon acyl groups on RNA-namely, 2'-O-acetyl and 2'-O-carbonate groups. Hybridization and thermal melting experiments are performed to assess the effects of the acyl groups on duplex formation. Both reagents can be employed at lower concentrations to map RNA secondary structure by reverse transcriptase primer extension (SHAPE) methods.

Reversible RNA acylation for control of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing.

We report the development of post-transcriptional chemical methods that enable control over CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing activity both in in vitro assays and in living cells. We show that an azide-substituted acyl imidazole reagent (NAI-N3) efficiently acylates CRISPR single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) in 20 minutes in buffer. Poly-acylated ("cloaked") sgRNA was completely inactive in DNA cleavage with Cas9 in vitro, and activity was quantitatively restored after phosphine treatment. Delivery of cloaked sgRNA and Cas9 mRNA into HeLa cells was enabled by the use of charge-altering releasable transporters (CARTs), which outperformed commercial transfection reagents in transfecting sgRNA co-complexed with Cas9 encoding functional mRNA. Genomic DNA cleavage in the cells by CRISPR-Cas9 was efficiently restored after treatment with phosphine to remove the blocking acyl groups. Our results highlight the utility of reversible RNA acylation as a novel method for temporal control of genome-editing function.

Seven-Membered Ring Nucleoside Analogues: Stereoselective Synthesis and Studies on Their Conformational Properties.

The synthesis of a novel series of seven-membered ring nucleoside analogues as candidates for biological screening and gene silencing applications is described. The key step in the synthetic approach is a stereoselective synthesis of an epoxide that is used as a common synthetic intermediate to prepare functionalized oxepane nucleoside derivatives. The conformational landscape and preferred ring-puckering of selected oxepane nucleosides was also studied by NMR, X-ray crystallography, and quantum mechanical calculations.

Nucleotide Sugar Pucker Preference Mitigates Excision by HIV-1 RT.

A series of DNA primers containing nucleotides with various sugar pucker conformations at the 3'-terminus were chemically synthesized by solid-phase synthesis. The ability of wild-type (WT) HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) and AZT-resistant (AZTr) RT to excise the 3'-terminal nucleotide was assessed. Nucleosides with a preference for the North conformation were more refractory to excision by both WT-RT and AZTr-RT. We found that DNA primers that contain North puckered-nucleotides at the 3'-terminus can also affect the translocation status of the RT/template/primer complex, which provides an underlying mechanism to avoid being excised. Together, these results point to a correlation between the sugar conformation of the 3'-terminal nucleotide, the precise position of HIV-1 RT on its nucleic acid substrate, and, in turn, its catalytic function. Nucleotide sugar conformation is therefore an important parameter in defining the susceptibility to RT-catalyzed phosphorolytic excision.