Collaborative Research: Nucleobase-Modified Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) for Sequence Selective Triple-Helical Recognition of Non-Coding Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)

化学部的生命过程化学项目获得了这一奖项，该项目由宾厄姆顿大学的erik Rozners教授和伊丽莎白镇学院的James a . MacKay教授共同资助。该研究开发了生物学意义的非编码核糖核酸（RNA）分子识别的新方法。大多数细胞RNA由非编码RNA组成，这些非编码RNA在调节基因表达方面发挥重要作用，尽管这些过程尚未完全了解。这类rna的选择性识别、成像和功能调控对生物技术的基础研究和实际应用具有重要意义。该项目扩展了跨传统机构边界的跨学科合作研究。该项目为伊丽莎白镇学院（主要是本科院校）的学生建立了一座桥梁，使他们能够从本科学习过渡到研究型大学的高级研究生学习。本科生，特别是女性、少数民族和第一代大学生参与了这个项目。该项目还有助于改善STEM教育。序列选择性RNA结合物的开发对于理解非编码RNA的生物化学具有重要意义。这些结合物可能会影响基础RNA生物学以及生物技术和合成生物学的实际应用。这项合作研究正在开发新的肽核酸（PNA）核碱基，能够识别沃森-克里克的整个Hoogsteen面和双链RNA的非规范碱基对。利用合成有机化学优化了新型核碱基的性质，使其能够识别任何双链RNA序列。这种方法可以解决长期存在的RNA分子识别问题，并使各种应用成为可能。这类应用的例子有：调控RNA的成像和功能控制，合成生物学的设计核糖开关，以及对基础研究中重要的生物学RNA的抑制。

With this award, the Chemistry of Life Processes Program in the Chemistry Division is funding a collaborative effort between Professors Eriks Rozners (Binghamton University) and James A. MacKay (Elizabethtown College). The research develops new methods for molecular recognition of biologically-significant, non-coding ribonucleic acid (RNA). The majority of cellular RNA consists of non-coding RNAs that play important roles in regulating gene expression even though these processes are not fully understood. Selective recognition, imaging, and functional regulation of such RNAs are useful for fundamental studies and practical applications in biotechnology. The project expands interdisciplinary, collaborative research across traditional institutional boundaries. The project establishes a bridge for Elizabethtown College (a primarily undergraduate institution) students to transition from undergraduate studies to advanced graduate studies at a research university. Undergraduate students, especially women, minorities and first generation college students, participate in the project. The project also contributes to improving STEM education. The development of sequence selective RNA binders is important for understanding the biochemistry of non-coding RNAs. Such binders may impact fundamental RNA biology and practical applications in biotechnology and synthetic biology. This collaborative study is developing new peptide nucleic acid (PNA) nucleobases that enable recognition of the entire Hoogsteen face of Watson-Crick and non-canonical base pairs of double-stranded RNA. The properties of the novel nucleobases are optimized using synthetic organic chemistry to enable recognition of any sequence of double-stranded RNA. This approach may solve a long-standing problem in molecular recognition of RNA and enables a variety of applications. Examples of such applications are: imaging and functional control of regulatory RNA, designer riboswitches for synthetic biology, and inhibition of biologically-important RNA for fundamental studies.