Drug discovery and development scheme for liver-targeting bridged nucleic acid antisense oligonucleotides.

Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) containing bridged nucleic acids (BNAs) have been proven to be very powerful. However, ensuring a reliable discovery and translational development scheme for this class of ASOs with wider therapeutic windows remains a fundamental challenge. We here demonstrate the robustness of our scheme in the context of the selection of ASOs having two different BNA chemistries (2,'4'-BNA/locked nucleic acid [LNA] and amido-bridged nucleic acid [AmNA]) targeting human proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9). The scheme features a two-step process, including (1) a unique and sensitive in vitro screening approach, called Ca2+ enrichment of medium (CEM) transfection, and (2) a ligand-targeted drug delivery approach to better reach target tissues, averting unintended accumulation of ASOs. Using CEM screening, we identified a candidate ASO that shows >70% cholesterol-lowering action in monkeys. An N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) ligand then was appended to the candidate ASO to further broaden the therapeutic margin by altering the molecule's pharmacokinetics. The GalNAc conjugate, HsPCSK9-1811-LNA, was found to be at least ten times more potent in non-human primates (compared with the unconjugated counterpart), with reduced nephrotoxicity in rats. Overall, we successfully showed that our drug development scheme is better suited for selecting clinically relevant BNA-based ASOs, especially for the treatment of liver-associated diseases.

Hybridization and Mismatch Discrimination Abilities of 2',4'-Bridged Nucleic Acids Bearing 2-Thiothymine or 2-Selenothymine Nucleobase.

Oligonucleotides modified with 2'- O,4'- C-spirocyclopropylene-bridged nucleic acid (scpBNA) exhibit excellent duplex-forming ability with their complementary single-stranded RNA (ssRNA). Here, we demonstrate that scpBNA bearing a 2-thiothymine (scpBNA-S2T) or 2-selenothymine (scpBNA-Se2T) nucleobase provides robust mismatch discrimination capabilities to oligonucleotides without compromising their high binding affinities toward the full complementary ssRNA. X-ray crystallographic analysis of a self-assembling oligonucleotide featuring 2',4'-BNA/LNA-2-thiothymine (2',4'-BNA/LNA-S2T, where 2',4'-BNA and LNA stand for "2'- O,4'- C-methylene-bridged nucleic acid" and "locked nucleic acid", respectively), a prototype of scpBNA-S2T, revealed that the 2-thiocarbonyl moiety plays a crucial role in the destabilization of thymine-guanine mismatched wobble base pairs.

Synthesis and biophysical properties of 5'-thio-2',4'-BNA/LNA oligonucleotide.

Phosphorothioate modification of oligonucleotides is one of the most promising chemical modifications in nucleic acid therapeutics. Structurally similar 5'-thio or phosphorothiolate-modified nucleotides, in which the 5'-bridging oxygen atom is replaced with a sulfur atom, are attracting attention and gaining importance in oligonucleotide-based research. In our present study, we synthesized 5'-thio-2',4'-BNA/LNA monomers bearing thymine or 5-methylcytosine nucleobase. The 5'-thio-2',4'-BNA/LNA monomers were successfully incorporated into target oligonucleotides, and their nuclease stability and binding affinity with complementary strands were evaluated.

Synthesis and Properties of 7-Deazapurine- and 8-Aza-7-deazapurine-Locked Nucleic Acid Analogues: Effect of the Glycosidic Torsion Angle.

Conformationally restricted nucleoside analogues 2',4'-BNA/LNA-7-deazaguanine (LNA-7cG) and 2',4'-BNA/LNA-8-aza-7-deazaguanine (LNA-8n7cG), which avoid extra hydrogen bond formation at the 7-position of the guanine nucleobase, were successfully synthesized and incorporated into oligonucleotides. While the LNA-7cG-containing oligonucleotides show high duplex-forming ability with complementary DNA and RNA similar to LNA-G, the LNA-8n7cG-containing oligonucleotide has lower binding affinity than that of natural 2'-deoxyguanosine. This disparity in thermostability is also observed in 7-deazaadenosine analogues (LNA-7cA, LNA-8n7cA). Thermodynamic parameters and computational chemistry revealed that an inappropriate glycosidic torsion angle χ of 2',4'-BNA/LNA-8-aza-7-deazapurine analogues destabilizes duplex formation in contrast to 2',4'-BNA/LNA-7-deazapurine analogues. This result indicates that the nucleobase rotation angle plays an important role in duplex binding affinity. In addition, LNA-7cG-modified oligonucleotide effectively suppresses aggregation even in a guanine-rich sequence.

In vitro and in vivo biophysical properties of oligonucleotides containing 5'-thio nucleosides.

Phosphorothioate modification is one of the most widely investigated and promising chemical modifications in oligonucleotide (ON) based therapeutics. Structurally similar 5'-thio or phosphorothiolate-modified nucleotides, in which a 5'-bridging oxygen is replaced with a sulfur atom, are gaining importance for ON-based research. Several reports have been published describing the synthesis of 5'-thio-modified ONs but no detailed in vitro and in vivo data are available. Here, we report the synthesis of 5'-thio-modified 2'-deoxy-5-methylcytidine. 5'-Thio-modified thymidine and 2'-deoxy-5-methylcytidine were incorporated into target ONs, then we evaluated their binding affinity, nuclease stability, RNase H mediated scission, stability in blood serum, and in vitro and in vivo activity. This is the first report showing the influence of 5'-thio-modified antisense ONs in in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Cleavage of oligonucleotides containing a P3'→N5' phosphoramidate linkage mediated by single-stranded oligonucleotide templates.

Double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) templates can hybridize to and accelerate cleavage of oligonucleotides containing a P3'→N5' phosphoramidate (P-N) linkage. This dsDNA-templated cleavage of P-N linkages could be due to conformational strain placed on the linkage upon triplex formation. To determine whether duplex formation also induced conformational strain, we examined the reactivity of the oligonucleotides with a P-N linkage in the presence of single-stranded templates, and compared these reactions to those with dsDNA templates. P-N oligonucleotides that are cleaved upon duplex formation could be used as probes to detect single-stranded nucleic acids.

Double-stranded DNA-templated cleavage of oligonucleotides containing a P3'->N5' linkage triggered by triplex formation: the effects of chemical modifications and remarkable enhancement in reactivity.

We recently reported double-stranded DNA-templated cleavage of oligonucleotides as a sequence-specific DNA-detecting method. In this method, triplex-forming oligonucleotides (TFOs) modified with 5'-amino-2',4'-BNA were used as a DNA-detecting probe. This modification introduced a P3'→N5' linkage (P-N linkage) in the backbone of the TFO, which was quickly cleaved under acidic conditions when it formed a triplex. The prompt fission of the P-N linkage was assumed to be driven by a conformational strain placed on the linkage upon triplex formation. Therefore, chemical modifications around the P-N linkage should change the reactivity by altering the microenvironment. We synthesized 5'-aminomethyl type nucleic acids, and incorporated them into TFOs instead of 5'-amino-2',4'-BNA to investigate the effect of 5'-elongation. In addition, 2',4'-BNA/LNA or 2',5'-linked DNA were introduced at the 3'- and/or 5'-neighboring residues of 5'-amino-2',4'-BNA to reveal neighboring residual effects. We evaluated the triplex stability and reaction properties of these TFOs, and found out that chemical modifications around the P-N linkage greatly affected their reaction properties. Notably, 2',5'-linked DNA at the 3' position flanking 5'-amino-2',4'-BNA brought significantly higher reactivity, and we succeeded in indicating that a TFO with this modification is promising as a DNA analysis tool.