LNA: Unique Technology - Unique Applications
Locked nucleic acids (LNAs, see picture) are a class of nucleic acids (NAs)containing nucleosides whose major distinguising characteristic is the presence of a methylene bridge between the 2'-O and 4'-C atoms of the ribose ring.
LNA nucleosides containing the five common nucleobases that appear in DNA and RNA (A,T,U,C,G) can base-pair with their complementary nucleosides according to standard Watson-Crick rules. The molecular differences between normal nucleosides and LNA nucleosides give rise to differences in the stability of nucleic acid duplexes formed between LNAs and other NAs. This difference is observable experimentally as an increased thermal stability of LNA-NA heteroduplexes and is dependent both on the number of LNA nucleosides present in the sequence, as well as the chemical nature of the nucleobases employed. This experimental difference can be exploited operationally to modulate the specificity of oligonucleotide probes designed to detect specific biological nucleic acid targets through standard NA hybridization techniques. Thus, LNA comprises one of the fundamental ingredients for Exiqon’s technology platform in the genomics market. Exiqon’s efforts to understand the molecular basis of LNA containing duplex behavior and predict these behaviors, as well as in developing the nucleic acid chemistries that support commercial production and extend the utility of LNA oligonucleotides, form the core of LNA research and development activities at Exiqon.
