[Suppression of transcription of influenza virus RNA by oligonucleotide derivatives]

The inhibitory effects of oligonucleotide derivatives on the transcription of virus RNA in an in vitro system and synthesis of virus proteins was studied. Oligonucleotide derivatives d(T)3, d(T)4, d(T)8, d(T)10, d(CCAAACA), d(TCACCCTC), d(TTCCCATT), d(AATACTCT) and d(TGACCCTCTTCCCATT), that bear residues of ethidium, deuteroporphyrin and its complexes with Fe3+, hemin, cholesterol, deuterocholesterol, estrone and naphthoquinone at the 5'-end phosphate and/or at the 3'-end phosphate were studied. Unmodified oligonucleotides and their derivatives had a negligible effect on the synthesis of cellular proteins, but did inhibit the synthesis of influenza virus proteins. The majority of structural modifications increased the inhibitory effect of oligonucleotides. It was shown that the oligonucleotide derivatives carrying residues of porphyrin, quinone, ethidium, cholesterol, deuterotestosterone and estrone at concentrations near 10 mM inhibit virus development to 50-80%. A clear inhibitory effect (20-25%) of deuteroporphyrin, cholesterol and ethidium derivatives was revealed even at concentration 0.1 mM. The obtained results testified that the inhibition of influenza virus development is dependent on the interaction of oligonucleotide derivatives with the transcription complex proteins.