Inhibition of hepatitis B virus replication in cultured cells and in vivo using 2'-O-guanidinopropyl modified siRNAs.

Silencing hepatitis B virus (HBV) gene expression with exogenous activators of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway has shown promise as a new mode of treating infection with the virus. However, optimizing efficacy, specificity, pharmacokinetics and stability of RNAi activators remains a priority before clinical application of this promising therapeutic approach is realised. Chemical modification of synthetic short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) provides the means to address these goals. This study aimed to assess the benefits of incorporating nucleotides with 2'-O-guanidinopropyl (GP) modifications into siRNAs that target HBV. Single GP residues were incorporated at nucleotide positions from 2 to 21 of the antisense strand of a previously characterised effective antiHBV siRNA. When tested in cultured cells, siRNAs with GP moieties at selected positions improved silencing efficacy. Stability of chemically modified siRNAs in 80% serum was moderately improved and better silencing effects were observed without evidence for toxicity or induction of an interferon response. Moreover, partially complementary target sequences were less susceptible to silencing by siRNAs with GP residues located in the seed region. Hydrodynamic co-injection of siRNAs with a replication-competent HBV plasmid resulted in highly effective knock down of markers of viral replication in mice. Evidence for improved efficacy, reduced off target effects and good silencing in vivo indicate that GP-modifications of siRNAs may be used to enhance their therapeutic utility.

Caged glucosamine-6-phosphate for the light-control of riboswitch activity.

We have synthesized a light-activatable ("caged") derivative of glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN6P), which only upon irradiation becomes a cofactor for the glmS riboswitch. This glmS riboswitch maintains its activity when embedded in the 3'-untranslated region of eukaryotic mRNA molecules and caged GlcN6P reduces the amount of translated EGFP upon irradiation with light in vitro.

Synthesis of 2'-O-guanidinopropyl-modified nucleoside phosphoramidites and their incorporation into siRNAs targeting hepatitis B virus.

Synthetic RNAi activators have shown considerable potential for therapeutic application to silencing of pathology-causing genes. Typically these exogenous RNAi activators comprise duplex RNA of approximately 21 bp with 2 nt overhangs at the 3' ends. To improve efficacy of siRNAs, chemical modification at the 2'-OH group of ribose has been employed. Enhanced stability, gene silencing and attenuated immunostimulation have been demonstrated using this approach. Although promising, efficient and controlled delivery of highly negatively charged nucleic acid gene silencers remains problematic. To assess the potential utility of introducing positively charged groups at the 2' position, our investigations aimed at assessing efficacy of novel siRNAs containing 2'-O-guanidinopropyl (GP) moieties. We describe the formation of all four GP-modified nucleosides using the synthesis sequence of Michael addition with acrylonitrile followed by Raney-Ni reduction and guanidinylation. These precursors were used successfully to generate antihepatitis B virus (HBV) siRNAs. Testing in a cell culture model of viral replication demonstrated that the GP modifications improved silencing. Moreover, thermodynamic stability was not affected by the GP moieties and their introduction into each position of the seed region of the siRNA guide strand did not alter the silencing efficacy of the intended HBV target. These results demonstrate that modification of siRNAs with GP groups confers properties that may be useful for advancing therapeutic application of synthetic RNAi activators.

Dependence of aptamer activity on opposed terminal extensions: improvement of light-regulation efficiency.

Aptamers that can be regulated with light allow precise control of protein activity in space and time and hence of biological function in general. In a previous study, we showed that the activity of the thrombin-binding aptamer HD1 can be turned off by irradiation using a light activatable 'caged' intramolecular antisense-domain. However, the activity of the presented aptamer in its ON state was only mediocre. Here we studied the nature of this loss in activity in detail and found that switching from 5'- to 3'-extensions affords aptamers that are even more potent than the unmodified HD1. In particular we arrived at derivatives that are now more active than the aptamer NU172 that is currently in phase 2 clinical trials as an anticoagulant. As a result, we present light-regulatable aptamers with a superior activity in their ON state and an almost digital ON/OFF behavior upon irradiation.

Ribozyme Assays to Quantify the Capping Efficiency of In Vitro-Transcribed mRNA.

The presence of the cap structure on the 5'-end of in vitro-transcribed (IVT) mRNA determines its translation and stability, underpinning its use in therapeutics. Both enzymatic and co-transcriptional capping may lead to incomplete positioning of the cap on newly synthesized RNA molecules. IVT mRNAs are rapidly emerging as novel biologics, including recent vaccines against COVID-19 and vaccine candidates against other infectious diseases, as well as for cancer immunotherapies and protein replacement therapies. Quality control methods necessary for the preclinical and clinical stages of development of these therapeutics are under ongoing development. Here, we described a method to assess the presence of the cap structure of IVT mRNAs. We designed a set of ribozyme assays to specifically cleave IVT mRNAs at a unique position and release 5'-end capped or uncapped cleavage products up to 30 nt long. We purified these products using silica-based columns and visualized/quantified them using denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) or liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Using this technology, we determined the capping efficiencies of IVT mRNAs with different features, which include: Different cap structures, diverse 5' untranslated regions, different nucleoside modifications, and diverse lengths. Taken together, the ribozyme cleavage assays we developed are fast and reliable for the analysis of capping efficiency for research and development purposes, as well as a general quality control for mRNA-based therapeutics.

Use of guanidinopropyl-modified siRNAs to silence gene expression.

Silencing gene expression by harnessing the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway with short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) has useful analytical and potentially therapeutic application. To augment silencing efficacy of siRNAs, chemical modification has been employed to improve stability, target specificity, and delivery to target tissues. siRNAs incorporating guanidinopropyl (GP) moieties have demonstrated enhanced target gene silencing in cell culture and in vivo models of hepatitis B virus replication. Here we describe the synthesis of GP-modified siRNAs and use of 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (5' RACE) to verify an RNAi-mediated mechanism of action of these novel chemically modified siRNAs.

Inhibition of replication of hepatitis B virus in transgenic mice following administration of hepatotropic lipoplexes containing guanidinopropyl-modified siRNAs.

Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) occurs commonly and complications that arise from persistence of the virus are associated with high mortality. Available licensed drugs have modest curative efficacy and advancing new therapeutic strategies to eliminate the virus is therefore a priority. HBV is susceptible to inactivation by exogenous gene silencers that harness RNA interference (RNAi) and the approach has therapeutic potential. To advance RNAi-based treatment for HBV infection, use in vivo of hepatotropic lipoplexes containing siRNAs with guanidinopropyl (GP) modifications is reported here. Lipoplexes contained polyglutamate, which has previously been shown to facilitate formulation and improve efficiency of the non-viral vectors. GP moieties were included in a previously described anti-HBV siRNA that effectively targeted the conserved viral X sequence. Particles had physical properties that were suitable for use in vivo: average diameter was approximately 50-200 nm and surface charge (zeta potential) was +65 mV. Efficient hepatotropic delivery of labeled siRNA was observed following systemic intravenous injection of the particles into HBV transgenic mice. Good inhibition of markers of viral replication was observed without evidence of toxicity. Efficacy of the GP-modified siRNAs was significantly more durable and formulations made up with chemically modified siRNAs were less immunostimulatory. An RNAi-mediated mechanism was confirmed by demonstrating that HBV mRNA cleavage occurred in vivo at the intended target site. Collectively these data indicate that GP-modified siRNAs formulated in anionic polymer-containing lipoplexes are effective silencers of HBV replication in vivo and have therapeutic potential.