Antisense effect of pyrrolidine-based oxy-peptide nucleic acids in Escherichia coli

The antisense effect of the pyrrolidine-based oxy-peptide nucleic acid (POPNA) was equivalent to that of a Nielsen-type PNA. The POPNA could switch its antisense effect (LacZ activity) over a wide range of ambient temperatures. To investigate the antisense effect of a pyrrolidine-based oxy-peptide nucleic acid (POPNA), we carried out the LacZ reporter assay using a 12-mer trans-l-POPNA conjugated with a cell-penetrating peptide (antisense reagent). The antisense effect of the conjugated POPNA (inhibition of LacZ activity) was comparable to that shown by a Nielsen-type peptide nucleic acid. Furthermore, the conjugated POPNA could switch the LacZ activity over a wide range of ambient temperatures.