DNA scission activity of Thermus thermophilus Argonaute with artificial nucleic acids

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K14032
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Bio-related chemistry
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Aiba Yuichiro 名古屋大学, 理学研究科, 助教 (10581085)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: Argonaute / RNA干渉 / 核酸 / バイオテクノロジー / 蛋白質

Outline of Final Research Achievements

RNA interference (RNAi) is a gene regulation mechanism, in which small RNA molecules inhibit the translation by targeting messenger RNA. For their wide applications including a nucleic acid therapeutics, a eukaryotic Argonaute (Ago), a key protein in RNAi pathway, has been intensively studied. However, it was found that a Thermus thermophilus Ago (TtAgo) shows DNA scission activity with a guide DNA (not RNA). This TtAgo works as a DNA-guided endonuclease and it could be a potential tool for genetic engineering.
In this study, we have succeeded in the expression of TtAgo, and its DNA scission activity was controlled by using guide strands with artificial nucleic acids. Furthermore, it was also found that the effect of the modification on the DNA scission activity depends on the modification position. This simple and easily-available strategy should be useful and widen the possibility of TtAgo applications.

Free Research Field

生体関連化学