Collaborative Research: Nucleobase-Modified PNA for Sequence Selective Triple-Helical Recognition of Non-Coding RNA

合作研究：核碱基修饰的 PNA 用于非编码 RNA 的序列选择性三螺旋识别

• 批准号: 2107911
• 负责人: James MacKay
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: Elizabethtown College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-08-01 至 2024-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2107911&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Nucleobase; Modified; PNA

With the support of the Chemistry of Life Processes (CLP) Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professors Eriks Rozners of SUNY Binghamton and James A. MacKay of Elizabethtown College are studying new methods for molecular recognition of biologically significant non-coding ribonucleic acid (RNA). With the onset of biochemical technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9 for DNA-editing, and the challenges associated with emerging pathogens such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus (novel coronavirus), RNA (ribonucleic acid) chemistry and biochemistry is at the forefront of research. We know that less than 2% of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) encodes for functional proteins, while over 70% of DNA is transcribed into RNA. The non-coding RNAs play important yet not fully understood roles in regulation of biological processes. Selective recognition, imaging, and functional regulation of such RNAs will be highly useful for fundamental science and practical applications in biotechnology. This project aims to establish new ways of targeting double-stranded RNA, which has been a long-standing problem and practical limitation in RNA biochemistry. Importantly, the project will be broader in its impact through expanding interdisciplinary collaborative research across traditional institutional boundaries and fostering the training and development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workforce through research and mentoring activities. The collaboration continues a 5 year partnership that has established a bridge for Elizabethtown College (a primarily undergraduate institution) students, especially women, minorities, and first generation college students for transitioning from undergraduate studies to advanced graduate studies at a research university. Work will contine toward improving STEM education of undergraduate and graduate students, and offer unique training for post-graduate students interested in exploring careers at a primarily undergraduate institution. The development of sequence-selective RNA binders is important for understanding the biochemistry of non-coding RNAs and may strongly impact fundamental RNA biology and practical applications in biotechnology and synthetic biology. This collaborative study will develop new derivatives of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) that are potentially capable of recognizing the entire Hoogsteen face of Watson-Crick base pairs of double-stranded RNA. This is to be achieved by development of new nucleobases and binding modes that place two anti-parallel PNA strands in the major groove, each hydrogen-bonding to their respective RNA strand. The properties of the new PNAs will be optimized using synthetic organic chemistry to promote recognition of diverse sequences of double-stranded RNA, which has the potential to solve a long-standing problem in molecular recognition of RNA. If successful, this research will enable a variety of applications, such as, imaging and functional control of regulatory RNA, designer riboswitches for synthetic biology, and inhibition of biologically important RNA for fundamental studies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

在化学系生命过程化学（CLP）项目的支持下，纽约州立大学宾厄姆顿分校的 Eriks Rozners 教授和伊丽莎白敦学院的 James A. MacKay 教授正在研究分子识别具有生物学意义的非编码核糖核酸（RNA）的新方法。 ）。随着用于 DNA 编辑的 CRISPR-Cas9 等生化技术的出现，以及与 SARS-CoV-2 病毒（新型冠状病毒）等新兴病原体相关的挑战，RNA（核糖核酸）化学和生物化学处于研究的前沿。研究。 我们知道，只有不到 2% 的脱氧核糖核酸 (DNA) 编码功能性蛋白质，而超过 70% 的 DNA 会转录成 RNA。非编码 RNA 在生物过程的调节中发挥着重要但尚未完全了解的作用。此类 RNA 的选择性识别、成像和功能调节对于生物技术的基础科学和实际应用非常有用。该项目旨在建立靶向双链RNA的新方法，双链RNA一直是RNA生物化学中长期存在的问题和实际限制。重要的是，该项目将通过跨越传统机构界限扩大跨学科合作研究，并通过研究和指导活动促进多元化、具有全球竞争力的 STEM（科学、技术、工程和数学）劳动力的培训和发展，从而扩大其影响。 此次合作延续了为期 5 年的合作伙伴关系，为伊丽莎白敦学院（主要是本科院校）的学生，特别是女性、少数族裔和第一代大学生从本科学习过渡到研究型大学的高级研究生学习搭建了一座桥梁。我们将继续致力于改善本科生和研究生的 STEM 教育，并为有兴趣在本科院校探索职业的研究生提供独特的培训。序列选择性 RNA 结合剂的开发对于理解非编码 RNA 的生物化学非常重要，并可能强烈影响基础 RNA 生物学以及生物技术和合成生物学的实际应用。这项合作研究将开发新的肽核酸 (PNA) 衍生物，它们有可能识别双链 RNA 的 Watson-Crick 碱基对的整个 Hoogsteen 面。这是通过开发新的核碱基和结合模式来实现的，将两条反向平行的 PNA 链放置在主沟中，每条链与各自的 RNA 链形成氢键。新PNAs的特性将利用合成有机化学进行优化，以促进双链RNA不同序列的识别，这有可能解决RNA分子识别中长期存在的问题。如果成功，这项研究将实现多种应用，例如调节 RNA 的成像和功能控制、用于合成生物学的核糖开关设计以及用于基础研究的生物学重要 RNA 的抑制。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被认为是值得的通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来获得支持。