Antagomir

Antagomires are a new class of chemically synthesized oligonucleotides that are used to shut down the cell's own microRNA molecules.

The term Antagomir is made up of the words "antagonist" (German counterpart) and mikroRNS (English microRNA or miRNA), which means "small ribonucleic acid".

An antagomir is a small synthetic RNA that is perfectly complementary to a specific cellular target miRNA. Since RNA molecules are comparatively unstable, antagomires are usually produced with a modification that makes them resistant to enzymatic degradation in the cell. For this purpose, a mismatch base is also incorporated at the interface for the Ago2 ( Argonaut -2) protein, part of the RNA-processing RISC complex.

The mechanism of action of the antagomires is currently unclear; however, it is assumed that the antagonist molecules bind irreversibly to their target miRNA and thus prevent their function. Antagomirs can be used in life science as a method to constitutively inhibit the activity of miRNA.

Individual evidence

^ Krützfeldt J, Rajewsky N, Braich R, et al. : Silencing of microRNAs in vivo with 'antagomirs' . In: Nature . 438, No. 7068, December 2005, pp. 685-689. doi : 10.1038 / nature04303 . PMID 16258535 .
↑ Czech MP: MicroRNAs as therapeutic targets . In: The New England Journal of Medicine . 354, No. 11, March 2006, pp. 1194-1195. doi : 10.1056 / NEJMcibr060065 . PMID 16540623 .

[1] Krützfeldt J, Rajewsky N, Braich R, et al. : Silencing of microRNAs in vivo with 'antagomirs' . In: Nature . 438, No. 7068, December 2005, pp. 685-689. doi : 10.1038 / nature04303 . PMID 16258535 .

[2] Czech MP: MicroRNAs as therapeutic targets . In: The New England Journal of Medicine . 354, No. 11, March 2006, pp. 1194-1195. doi : 10.1056 / NEJMcibr060065 . PMID 16540623 .