title: RNA interference in mammalia cells by RNA-3'-PNA chimeras.
abstract: The discovery of siRNAs as the mediators of RNA interference has led to an increasing interest in their therapeutic applications. Chemical modifications are introduced into siRNAs to optimize the potency, the stability and the pharmacokinetic properties in vivo. Here, we synthesize and test the effects of RNA-3'-PNA chimeras on siRNA functioning and stability. We demonstrate that the chemical modifications are compatible with the siRNA machinery, because all the PNA-modified siRNAs can efficiently mediate specific gene silencing in mammalian cells. Furthermore, we find that the modification on the sense strand of siRNA results in an increased persistence of the activity, whereas modification on both strands results in enhanced nuclease resistance in serum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Second University of Naples, Via Vivaldi 43, I-81100 Caserta, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicoletta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Potenza
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Second University of Naples, Via Vivaldi 43, I-81100 Caserta, Italy.
authors.forename: Loredana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moggio
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Second University of Naples, Via Vivaldi 43, I-81100 Caserta, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Milano
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Second University of Naples, Via Vivaldi 43, I-81100 Caserta, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Salvatore
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Second University of Naples, Via Vivaldi 43, I-81100 Caserta, Italy.
authors.forename: Benedetto
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Di Blasio
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Second University of Naples, Via Vivaldi 43, I-81100 Caserta, Italy.
authors.forename: Aniello
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Second University of Naples, Via Vivaldi 43, I-81100 Caserta, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Messere