Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 21, 2026

Sequence-specific and Selective Recognition of Double-stranded RNAs over Single-stranded RNAs by Chemically Modified Peptide Nucleic Acids
Published on: September 21, 2017
Advances in peptide nucleic acid for targeting RNA and genomic DNA
Angana De1,2, Vikas Kumar1,2, W Mark Saltzman3
1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
None:
Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a synthetic mimic of DNA where the deoxyribose-phosphodiester backbone is replaced with N-(2-aminoethyl) glycine units. The lack of deoxyribose-phosphodiester bonds enhances enzymatic stability and improves binding affinity of PNA with complementary DNA and RNA strands. To enhance target binding, conformational stability, and pharmacological activity, several chemical modifications have been introduced into PNA. Modified PNAs have demonstrated promising preclinical potential as antisense and anti-gene agents, supporting their use in diverse biomedical applications. The limited in vivo biodistribution and cellular uptake of PNA have significantly hindered its clinical development. Enhancing PNA biodistribution using nanoformulations and bioconjugate-based delivery strategies has resulted in substantial in vivo pharmacological effects. Further, with advancements in chemistry and delivery techniques, PNA holds promise in treating genetic diseases, metabolic disorders, cancers, and infectious diseases. This review summarizes PNA's pharmacological mechanisms, chemical modifications, delivery strategies, and therapeutic applications while addressing limitations for clinical translation.
Related Concept Videos
RNA-seq
Before the discovery of RNA-seq, microarray-based methods and Sanger sequencing were used for transcriptome analysis. However, while...
Experimental RNAi
RACE - Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends
Nucleic Acid Structure
DNA Structure
DNA...
RNA Interference
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...

