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Volume 5, Issue 2 (Suppl)
Transcriptomics, an open access journal
ISSN: 2329-8936
Molecular Biology 2017
August 31-September 01, 2017
2
nd
International Conference on
August 31-September 01, 2017 Philadelphia, USA
Molecular Biology, Nucleic Acids &
Molecular Medicine
Notes:
Small RNA zippers lock miRNA molecules and block miRNA function in mammalian cells
Zuoren Yu, Lingyu Meng
and
Qian Zhao
Tongji University School of Medicine, China
S
mall non-coding RNA-based diagnostic and therapeutic applications for human cancer are expected soon. Knocking
down the expression level or blocking the function of oncogenic miRNAs is believed to be a promising strategy for cancer
treatment. miRNAs loss-of-function phenotypes are mainly induced by chemically modified antisense oligonucleotides. Here,
we develop an alternative inhibitor for miRNAs, termed as small RNA zipper. It is designed to bind to the 5’-half sequences
of one molecule and the 3’-half sequences of another molecule of the target miRNA through a complementary interaction.
The small RNA zipper can connect the target miRNA molecules end to end forming a DNA–RNA duplex with high affinity,
high specificity and high stability. To avoid self-complementarity and to enhance binding specificity, LNA nucleosides were
applied to synthesize the small RNA zipper. Two miRNAs, miR-221 and miR-17, were tested in human breast cancer cell
lines, demonstrating the 70%-90% knockdown of miRNA levels by 30–50 nM small RNA zippers at 24-48 h after transfection.
The effect of the miRNA zipper was not limited to the target miRNA, but also to the expression of iso-miRNAs. Let-7 family
members and point mutated sequence were applied to further validate the specificity of the miRNA zippers. The miR-221
zipper shows capability in rescuing the expression of target genes of miR-221 and reversing the oncogenic function of miR-
221 in breast cancer cells. In addition, we demonstrate that the miR-221 zipper attenuates doxorubicin resistance with higher
efficiency than anti-miR-221 in human breast cancer cells. Taken together, small RNA zippers are a novel type of miRNA
inhibitors, which can be used to induce miRNA loss-of-function phenotypes and validate miRNA target genes.
Biography
Zuoren Yu is currently a Professor at Tongji University School of Medicine, Research Center for Translational, Shanghai East Hospital. After obtaining PhD degree
in 2003 from Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, he started Post-doctoral training at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Thomas Jefferson
University Kimmel Cancer Center. In 2009, he was assigned for a Faculty position in the track of Research Assistant Professor at Thomas Jefferson University.
After joining Tongji University in Shanghai in 2012, he has been focusing on non-coding RNA regulation of breast cancer stem cells related with drug sensitivity,
tumour regeneration and cancer metastasis. His main research work includes: Finding cell cycle regulator CCND1 is involved in the regulation of miRNA biogenesis
and histone H3K9 tri-methylation, finding a regulatory loop between CCND1 and miR-17/20 in breast cancer, and demonstrating a microenvironment-mediated
heterotypic signalling through which miR-17/20 regulate cross talking between cancer cells and inhibit breast cancer cell migration and metastasis.
zuoren.yu@tongji.edu.cnZuoren Yu et al., Transcriptomics 2017, 5:2 (Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2329-8936-C1-013