Vitamin B₁₂ as a carrier of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) into bacterial cells.

ABSTRACT: Short modified oligonucleotides targeted at bacterial DNA or RNA could serve as antibacterial agents provided that they are efficiently taken up by bacterial cells. However, the uptake of such oligonucleotides is hindered by the bacterial cell wall. To overcome this problem, oligomers have been attached to cell-penetrating peptides, but the efficiency of delivery remains poor. Thus, we have investigated the ability of vitamin B₁₂ to transport peptide nucleic acid (PNA) oligomers into cells of Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhimurium. Vitamin B₁₂ was covalently linked to a PNA oligomer targeted at the mRNA of a reporter gene expressing Red Fluorescent Protein. Cu-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition was employed for the synthesis of PNA-vitamin B₁₂ conjuga

SUBMITTER: Rownicki M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5550456 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature