Targeting of Cancer-Related Proteins with PNA Oligomers

Authors: Pooga M.; Langel U.

Source: Current Cancer Drug Targets, Volume 1, Number 3, November 2001 , pp. 231-239(10)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

Abstract:

Aberrant gene expression is characteristic to all cancer cells and pathophysiology in general. Selective inhibition of constitutively elevated expression of oncogenes provides an opportunity to hinder the proliferation of malignant cells. Small synthetic molecules that specifically interfere with transcription and / or translation have great potential as anticancer drugs. Currently first-generation antisense oligonucleotides are widely used to inhibit the oncogene expression. The second generation of antisense agents have been studied mainly in vitro. One of these agents, peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is an oligonucleotide mimic with a non-charged achiral polyamide backbone to which the nucleobases are linked. PNA oligomers bind tightly to complementary DNA or RNA and are very stable in biological fluids. PNA can inhibit transcription and translation of target genes by specifically hybridizing to DNA or mRNA. The in vitro experiments showing inhibition of target protein expression by PNA have been followed by the first successful applications of PNA as an antisense agent in cultured cells and also in vivo. Hopefully this will lead to a wider use of PNA in the studies of cancer biology and therapy.

Keywords: PNA Oligomers; Peptide nucleic acid pna; Rna component of human telomerase; Inducible nitric oxide synthase; Inhibitor of ab1 tyrosine kinase

Language: English

Document Type: Review article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1568009013334142

Publication date: 2001-11-01

• Current Cancer Drug Targets aims to cover all the latest and outstanding developments on the medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, molecular biology, genomics and biochemistry of contemporary molecular drug targets involved in cancer, e.g. disease specific proteins, receptors, enzymes, genes.
  Each issue of the journal contains a series of timely in-depth reviews written by leaders in the field covering a range of current topics on drug targets involved in cancer.
  As the discovery, identification, characterization and validation of novel human drug targets for anti-cancer drug discovery continues to grow; this journal has become essential reading for all pharmaceutical scientists involved in drug discovery and development.

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• In this Subject: Oncology ,  Pharmacology
• By this author: Pooga M. ;  Langel U.

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