LNA: a versatile tool for therapeutics and genomics

• Published in: Trends in biotechnology (Regular ed.) Vol. 21; no. 2; pp. 74 - 81
• Main Authors: Petersen, Michael, Wengel, Jesper
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2003; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Biomimetic Materials - chemistry; Biomimetic Materials - metabolism; Biomimetic Materials - therapeutic use; Biotechnology; DNA - chemistry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression Profiling - methods; Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; Gene Expression Regulation - genetics; Genetic Therapy - methods; Genomics - methods; Health. Pharmaceutical industry; Humans; Hybridization, Genetic; In Situ Hybridization - methods; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Macromolecular Substances; Miscellaneous; Molecular Structure; Oligonucleotides; Oligonucleotides, Antisense - chemistry; Oligonucleotides, Antisense - metabolism; Oligonucleotides, Antisense - therapeutic use; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; RNA, Double-Stranded - chemistry; Drug; Analog; Genomics; Nucleic acid
• ISSN: 0167-7799; 1879-3096
• DOI: 10.1016/S0167-7799(02)00038-0

Locked nucleic acid (LNA) is a nucleic acid analogue that displays unprecedented hybridization affinity towards complementary DNA and RNA. Structural studies have shown LNA to be an RNA mimic, fitting seamlessly into an A-type duplex geometry. Several reports have revealed LNA as a most promising molecule for the development of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics. For example, Tat-dependent transcription and telomerase activity have been efficiently suppressed by LNA oligomers, and efficient cleavage of highly structured RNA has been achieved using LNA-modified DNAzymes ('LNAzyme'). Furthermore, convincing examples of the application of LNA to nucleic acid diagnostics have been reported, including high capturing efficiencies and unambiguous scoring of single-nucleotide polymorphisms.