We have used time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) to examine different immobilization processes of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) and their influence on the hybridization efficiency of unlabeled DNA fragments to complementary PNA. Two different approaches have been used to immobilize PNA onto Au surfaces. One method was to immobilize thiolated PNA in a single step reaction to t...

Anti-miRs are oligonucleotide inhibitors complementary to miRNAs that have been used extensively as tools to gain understanding of specific miRNA functions and as potential therapeutics. We showed previously that peptide nucleic acid (PNA) anti-miRs containing a few attached Lys residues were potent miRNA inhibitors. Using miR-122 as an example, we report here the PNA sequence and attached amin...

DNA detection based on peptide nucleic acid (PNA)–DNA hybridization is emerging as an important method in the area of DNA microarrays and biosensors because PNA shows remarkable hybridization properties. In this work, we provide a novel, simple, sensitive, and selective strategy based on a PNA– graphene oxide (GO) assembled biosensor for fluorescence turn-on detection of DNA, in which the new n...

PURPOSE Peanut agglutinin lectin (PNA) is known for its selective binding to cone cells and to the cone domains of the interphotoreceptor matrix. In the current study, the authors investigated whether there is any difference in PNA binding between color-specific cones of the cone-dominant ground squirrel. METHODS Consecutive serial sections of the retina of Spermophilus tridecemlineatus were ...

In the present study, we exploited the superior features of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) to develop an efficient PNA zip-code microarray for the detection of hepatocyte nuclear factor-1alpha (HNF-1alpha) mutations that cause type 3 maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY). A multi-epoxy linker compound was synthesized and used to achieve an efficient covalent linking of amine-modified PNA to...

DNA has shown great promise as a building material for self-assembling nanoscale structures. To further develop the potential of this technology, more methods are needed for functionalizing DNA-based nanostructures to increase their chemical diversity. Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) holds great promise for realizing this goal, as it conveniently allows for inclusion of both amino acids and peptides...

Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) are uncharged analogs of DNA and RNA in which the ribose-phosphate backbone is substituted by a backbone held together by amide bonds. PNAs are interesting as models of alternative genetic systems because they form potentially informational base paired helical structures. A PNA C10 oligomer has been shown to act as template for efficient formation of oligoguanylates...

The discovery that peptide nucleic acids (PNA) mimic DNA and RNA by forming complementary duplex structures following Watson-Crick base pairing rules opens fields in biochemistry, diagnostics, and medicine for exploration. Progress requires the development of modified PNA duplexes having unique and well defined properties. We find that anthraquinone groups bound to internal positions of a PNA o...

Short oligonucleotides binding complementary mRNA essential for bacterial growth could be used as antibacterials provided that they are delivered to cells. One promising oligonucleotide is peptide nucleic acid (PNA), a synthetic DNA analog with neutral peptide-like backbone. Unfortunately, bacteria do not import short oligonucleotides, including PNA, from the environment and efficient non-invas...

Definition Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is an artificial mimic of nucleic acid, which was invented more than a decade ago (7). The molecule combines many features that are similar to those of natural nucleic acids with characteristics that are rather different or even unique to PNA. First and foremost, N-(2-aminoethyl)-glycine units linked by ▶amide bonds substitute the (deoxy)ribosephosphate bac...