Peptide nucleic acids and their potential applications in biotechnology.
Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) are novel DNA mimics in which the sugar-phosphate backbone has been replaced with a backbone based on amino acids. PNAs exhibit sequence-specific binding to DNA and RNA with higher affinities and specificities than unmodified DNA. They are resistant to nuclease and protease attack in serum and cellular extracts and, thus, appear very promising as diagnostic and biomolecular probes, and possibly as antisense and antigene drugs.
Buchardt
O
O
Chemical Laboratory II, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Egholm
M
M
Berg
R H
RH
Nielsen
P E
PE
D001709:Biotechnology; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D016373:DNA, Antisense / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D015195:Drug Design; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry; D016372:RNA, Antisense / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
D016373:DNA, Antisense; D009696:Nucleic Acids; D010455:Peptides; D016372:RNA, Antisense; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA