Messenger RNA and proteins

Proteins are fundamental for all cellular processes and therefore proteins are a major target for therapeutic development. Indeed, many therapeutic compounds acts by direct binding to proteins to thereby affect the activity of the bound protein.

However, identification of therapeutic compounds that bind to a given protein with high affinity and specificity is a major challenge and in some cases nearly impossible. It is said that some proteins are undruggable, because of their 3-dimensional structure.

An alternative to affecting the activity of a given protein is modulation of protein level. Since cellular proteins is directed by the information encoded in messenger RNA, this may be effected by modulating mRNA activity and/or mRNA level.

Messenger RNA and proteins

Proteins are fundamental for all cellular processes and therefore proteins are a major target for therapeutic development. Indeed, many therapeutic compounds acts by direct binding to proteins to thereby affect the activity of the bound protein…Read More

Antisense targeting of mRNA

Designing an artificial antisense oligonucleotide that bind with high affinity and specificity to an mRNA is relatively easy. Therefore, it was early recognized that antisense oligonucleotides which bind to and affect mRNA activity might…Read More

MicroRNA

MicroRNAs are short single stranded RNAs of about 22 nucleotides that are processed from hairpin shaped pre-cursors and incorporated into the RNA Induced Silencing Complex (RISC). Once incorporated in RISC, microRNAs direct translational repression…Read More

Antisense targeting of microRNA

Therapeutic approaches targeting microRNA pathways have so far focused on inhibiting the activity of a particular microRNA by using antisense oligonucleotide directed to the microRNA (e.g. antimirs and antagomirs) or on microRNA replacement therapy…Read More