LNA-modified oligonucleotides mediate specific inhibition of microRNA function

UA Ørom, S Kauppinen, AH Lund - Gene, 2006 - Elsevier
Gene, 2006Elsevier
microRNAs are short, endogenous non-coding RNAs that act as post-transcriptional
modulators of gene expression. Important functions for microRNAs have been found in the
regulation of development, cellular proliferation and differentiation, while perturbed miRNA
expression patterns have been observed in many human cancers. Here we present a
method for specific inhibition of miRNA function through interaction with LNA-modified
antisense oligonucleotides and report the specificity of this application. We show that LNA …
microRNAs are short, endogenous non-coding RNAs that act as post-transcriptional modulators of gene expression. Important functions for microRNAs have been found in the regulation of development, cellular proliferation and differentiation, while perturbed miRNA expression patterns have been observed in many human cancers. Here we present a method for specific inhibition of miRNA function through interaction with LNA-modified antisense oligonucleotides and report the specificity of this application. We show that LNA-modified oligonucleotides can inhibit exogenously introduced miRNAs with high specificity using a heterologous reporter assay, and furthermore demonstrate their ability to inhibit an endogenous miRNA in Drosophila melanogaster cells, leading to up-regulation of the cognate target protein. The method shows stoichiometric and reliable inhibition of the targeted miRNA and can thus be applied to studies of miRNA functions and validation of putative target genes.
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