title: Non-specific antiviral activity of antisense molecules targeted to the E1 region of human papillomavirus.
abstract: Antisense phosphorothioate oligonucleotides (ODN1 0x5 OMe) directed against the E1 start region of human papillomavirus 11 (HPV11) can inhibit papillomavirus induced growth of implanted human foreskin in a mouse xenograft model. Administration of a mismatch control oligonucleotide (ODN9 0x5 OMe), in which guanine was replaced with adenine in the same model, had no effect on papilloma induced growth. However, the apparent antiviral activity of ODN1 0x5 OMe was also shown in a lethal mouse cytomegalovirus (CMV) model, in which the oligonucleotides are not expected to have antisense activity. To understand the mechanisms of action of these oligonucleotides, a mismatch oligonucleotide (ODN61 0x5 OMe) was prepared which retained the CpG motifs of ODN1 0x5 OMe. This was tested in the mouse xenograft model and shown to have moderate inhibitory activity. As a definitive experiment, a comparison was made between the efficacy of the active oligonucleotide ODN1 0x5 OMe against two papilloma viruses HPV11 and HPV40. Both these viruses cause benign genital warts, but differ by four bases in their E1 sequence that was the target for ODN1 0x5 OMe. Papillomavirus induced growth in the mouse xenograft model was inhibited by ODN1 0x5 OMe in both cases, suggesting that oligonucleotide molecules have a non-specific antiviral activity that is not directly related to their antisense sequence.
authors.affiliation: Roche Discovery Welwyn, Broadwater Road, Herts. AL73AY, Welwyn Garden City, UK. jon.lewis@roche.com
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bishop
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chadwick
authors.forename: N D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Cristensen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cuthill
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dunford
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Field
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Greenham
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kilkushie
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kreider
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mulqueen
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Szymkowski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D018146:Muromegalovirus / Q000187:drug effects; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense / Q000494:pharmacology*; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000187:drug effects*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000821:virology; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000821:virology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C084304:E1 protein, Human papillomavirus type 11; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D014764:Viral Proteins