ISSN 2326-7267
International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology ISSN: 2326-7267 Vol. 9 (9), pp. 001-006, September, 2020. © International Scholars Journals
Review
Peptide nucleic acid: Current perspectives and application for future therapeutics
Manoj G Tyagi
Department of Pharmacology, Christian Medical College, Vellore 632002, Tamilnadu, India.
Corresponding author email: [email protected] Tell: 0416-228-4237
Accepted 15 July, 2020
Abstract
Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) mimic based on a polyamide backbone first synthesized and reported by Peter Nielsen in 1991. PNA shows remarkable hybridization properties and has many exciting applications. It is chemically and biologicaly stable and can readily conjugate with peptides and other useful molecules. The search for new chemical modification of the PNA is a very active field of research and new structures are continuosly proposed. Conjugation of an oligonucleotide to some peptides that can move through the cell membrane would facilitate the passage of this conjugate across for delivery into the cell’s cytosol. Oligonucleotides can also be conjugated to lipids to yield derivatives with lipophilic properties that are capable to pass across the cell membrane. Thus, PNA can have multiple roles to perform in molecular biology, antigene therapy, molecular diagnostics and nano-biotechnology.
Key words: Peptide nucleic acid, oligonucleotide, electroporation, ribonucleic acid, polyamide