Antagomirs, also known as anti-miRs, are a class of chemically engineered

oligonucleotide Oligonucleotides are short DNA or RNA molecules, oligomers, that have a wide range of applications in genetic testing, research, and forensics. Commonly made in the laboratory by solid-phase chemical synthesis, these small bits of nucleic acids c ...

s designed to silence endogenous

microRNAs MicroRNA (miRNA) are small, single-stranded, non-coding RNA molecules containing 21 to 23 nucleotides. Found in plants, animals and some viruses, miRNAs are involved in RNA silencing and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. miR ...

(also known as miRNAs or miRs). Antagomirs are a kind of

antisense oligonucleotide Oligonucleotides are short DNA or RNA molecules, oligomers, that have a wide range of applications in genetic testing, research, and forensics. Commonly made in the laboratory by solid-phase chemical synthesis, these small bits of nucleic acids c ...

, as their sequence is complementary to their specific miRNA target. Their structure has modifications so as to make them more resistant to degradation. These include 2'-

methoxy In organic chemistry, a methoxy group is the functional group consisting of a methyl group bound to oxygen. This alkoxy group has the formula . On a benzene ring, the Hammett equation classifies a methoxy substituent at the ''para'' position as ...

groups on the

ribose Ribose is a simple sugar and carbohydrate with molecular formula C5H10O5 and the linear-form composition H−(C=O)−(CHOH)4−H. The naturally-occurring form, , is a component of the ribonucleotides from which RNA is built, and so this compo ...

sugar, backbones with

phosphorothioate Thiophosphates (or phosphorothioates, PS) are chemical compounds and anions with the general chemical formula (''x'' = 0, 1, 2, or 3) and related derivatives where organic groups are attached to one or more O or S. Thiophosphates feature tetrahedr ...

bonds, and cholesterol conjugation on the 3' end.

Mechanism of action

Antagomirs are

microRNA MicroRNA (miRNA) are small, single-stranded, non-coding RNA molecules containing 21 to 23 nucleotides. Found in plants, animals and some viruses, miRNAs are involved in RNA silencing and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. miRN ...

inhibitors that bind miRNAs and prevent them from binding to a target

mRNA In molecular biology, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) is a single-stranded molecule of RNA that corresponds to the genetic sequence of a gene, and is read by a ribosome in the process of Protein biosynthesis, synthesizing a protein. mRNA is ...

molecule, and the consequent degradation of that mRNA via the

RNA-induced silencing complex The RNA-induced silencing complex, or RISC, is a multiprotein complex, specifically a ribonucleoprotein, which functions in gene silencing via a variety of pathways at the transcriptional and translational levels. Using single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) ...

(RISC). Due to the promiscuity of

s, each of which regulate multiple mRNAs, antagomirs can potentially affect the expression of many different mRNA molecules besides the desired target. Blockmirs are similarly engineered molecules which, on the other hand, are designed to have a sequence that is complementary to an

sequence that is targeted by a

. Upon binding to an

untranslated region In molecular genetics, an untranslated region (or UTR) refers to either of two sections, one on each side of a coding sequence on a strand of mRNA. If it is found on the 5' side, it is called the 5' UTR (or leader sequence), or if it is foun ...

of an mRNA, blockmirs sterically block microRNAs from binding to the same site. Because blockmirs bind individual mRNAs and not miRNAs, their activity is more predictable than antagomirs' and less likely to cause off-target effects.

Applications

Antagomirs are used as a method to constitutively inhibit the activity of specific miRNAs associated with disease. For example, antagomirs against miR-21 have been successfully used to inhibit fibrosis of heart and lung.

HCV

The primary method for using

technology to target the

Hepatitis C Virus The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a small (55–65 nm in size), enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus of the family ''Flaviviridae''. The hepatitis C virus is the cause of hepatitis C and some cancers such as liver cancer ( hepato ...

(HCV) is by knocking-out the liver-specific

. miRNA-122 binds to the 5' untranslated region of HCV's

strand and, contrary to miRNA's normal function of repressing mRNA, actually upregulates the expression of the Hepatitis C Virus. Thus, the therapeutic goal in such a case would be to keep miRNA-122 from binding to HCV mRNA in order to prevent this mRNA from being expressed. However, miRNA-122 also regulates

cholesterol Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell mem ...

( HDL) and the activity of tumor-suppressor genes (

oncogene An oncogene is a gene that has the potential to cause cancer. In tumor cells, these genes are often mutated, or expressed at high levels.

s).This means that not only will knocking out the microRNA-122 reduce the HCV infection, but it will also reduce the activity of

tumor suppressor genes A tumor suppressor gene (TSG), or anti-oncogene, is a gene that regulates a cell during cell division and replication. If the cell grows uncontrollably, it will result in cancer. When a tumor suppressor gene is mutated, it results in a loss or red ...

, potentially leading to

liver cancer Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...

. In order to target HCV mRNA specifically (instead of miRNA-122 as a whole), Blockmir technology has been developed to solely target HCV mRNA, thus avoiding any sort of tampering with

oncogene An oncogene is a gene that has the potential to cause cancer. In tumor cells, these genes are often mutated, or expressed at high levels.

expression. This may be achieved by designing a Blockmir that matches seed 1.

High-density lipoprotein

MicroRNA-33a/b inhibition in mice leads to increased blood

high-density lipoprotein High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is one of the five major groups of lipoproteins. Lipoproteins are complex particles composed of multiple proteins which transport all fat molecules (lipids) around the body within the water outside cells. They are ty ...

(HDL) levels.

Abca1 ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCA1 (member 1 of human transporter sub-family ABCA), also known as the ''cholesterol efflux regulatory protein'' (CERP) is a protein which in humans is encoded by the ''ABCA1'' gene. This transporter is a major ...

is essential for production of HDL precursors in liver cells. In

macrophage Macrophages (abbreviated as M φ, MΦ or MP) ( el, large eaters, from Greek ''μακρός'' (') = large, ''φαγεῖν'' (') = to eat) are a type of white blood cell of the immune system that engulfs and digests pathogens, such as cancer cel ...

s, Abca1 excretes cholesterol from oxidized cholesterol-carrying

lipoprotein A lipoprotein is a biochemical assembly whose primary function is to transport hydrophobic lipid (also known as fat) molecules in water, as in blood plasma or other extracellular fluids. They consist of a triglyceride and cholesterol center, sur ...

s and thus counteracts

atherosclerotic Atherosclerosis is a pattern of the disease arteriosclerosis in which the wall of the artery develops abnormalities, called lesions. These lesions may lead to narrowing due to the buildup of atheromatous plaque. At onset there are usually no sy ...

plaques. From this, it is hypothesized that microRNA-33 affects HDL via regulation of Abca1. Therefore, in order to target the regulation of Abca1, a blockmir can be developed that specifically binds to Abca1 mRNA molecules, thus blocking its miRNA site and upregulating its expression. Such an application of blockmir technology could lead to overall increased HDL levels.

Insulin signalling

MicroRNA-103/107 inhibition in mice leads to increased

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...

sensitivity and signalling It has been previously shown that caveolin-1-deficient mice show insulin resistance. MicroRNA-103/107 inhibition in caveolin-1-deficient mice had no effect on insulin sensitivity and signalling. Thus, microRNA-103/107 may affect

sensitivity by targeting caveolin-1.

Ischemia and immunotherapy

The blockmir CD5-2 has been shown to inhibit the interaction between

miR-27 miR-27 is a family of microRNA precursors found in animals, including humans. MicroRNAs are typically transcribed as ~70 nucleotide precursors and subsequently processed by the Dicer enzyme to give a ~22 nucleotide product. The excised region or ...

and

VE-cadherin Cadherin 5, type 2 or VE-cadherin (vascular endothelial cadherin) also known as CD144 ( Cluster of Differentiation 144), is a type of cadherin. It is encoded by the human gene ''CDH5''. Function VE-cadherin is a classical cadherin from the cad ...

, enhancing recovery from

ischemic injury Ischemia or ischaemia is a restriction in blood supply to any tissue, muscle group, or organ of the body, causing a shortage of oxygen that is needed for cellular metabolism (to keep tissue alive). Ischemia is generally caused by problems wi ...

in mice. The drug has also been shown to enhance T cell infiltration in combination with

immunotherapy Immunotherapy or biological therapy is the treatment of disease by activating or suppressing the immune system. Immunotherapies designed to elicit or amplify an immune response are classified as ''activation immunotherapies,'' while immunotherap ...

in mouse models of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

References

{{Reflist, 35em Nucleotides Experimental drugs