In vitro selection of scFv and its production: an application of mRNA display and wheat embryo cell-free and E. coli cell production system.

Synthetic DNA libraries encoding human antibody V(L) and V(H) fragments were designed, constructed, and enriched using mRNA display. The enriched libraries were then combined to construct a scFv library for mRNA display. Sequencing revealed that 46% of the library coded for full-length scFvs.

A completely in vitro system for obtaining scFv using mRNA display, PCR, direct sequencing, and wheat embryo cell-free translation.

Using mRNA display followed by in vitro sequencing and translation, a complete in vitro system for obtaining scFv has been developed. An mRNA display library for synthetic scFv was panned against human TNF receptor (TNFR). The nucleotide portion of the enriched molecules was subjected to limiting dilution, and PCR-amplified.

Ribosome-catalyzed synthesis of protein/oligopeptides with unnatural backbone.

Nonsense suppression method was used to probe the allowable modification of substrate (amino acid) backbone in the prokaryotic ribosomal system. Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) with an amber mutation was translated in the RF1-diminished prokaryotic cell free translation system in the presence of chemically-misacylated yeast tRNA(Phe)CUA. The prokaryotic ribosome showed a restricted tolerance to the backbone modification.

A simple approach to sense codon-templated synthesis of natural/unnatural hybrid peptides.

In the presence of Phe-SA, the stable sulfamoyl analogue of phenylalanyl adenylate, the codon (UUU/UUC) for phenylalanine (Phe) can be reassigned to naphthylalanine (Nap) bound to tRNA(Phe). The efficiency and selectivity of this Phe-to-Nap reassignment induced by the "orthogonal reacylation stalling" method was demonstrated at the single-codon level in the translation of mRNAs of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and a 24-mer oligopeptide. In the prokaryotic translation system with essential preincubation, the endogenous precharged phenylalanyl-tRNA(Phe) undergoes deacylation and reacylation of the resulting tRNA(Phe) is inhibited by the action of Phe-SA to kill the phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase activity.

Design of base-discriminating fluorescent (BDF) nucleobase for SNP typing.

We have devised novel pyrene-labeled BDF nucleosides, (Py)U, (Py)C, (Py)deazaA, and (Py)A. BDF probes containing these fluorescent nucleosides selectively emit fluorescence only when the base opposite the BDF base is a target base. Oligonucleotides containing these BDF nucleosides act as effective reporter probes for homogeneous SNP typing of DNA samples.

Simple SNP typing assay using a base-discriminating fluorescent probe.

We have developed a new concept involving a single-step homogeneous method for single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing. In this method, a probe containing base-discriminating fluorescent (BDF) bases is added to a sample solution. BDF base-containing DNA usually shows only a weak fluorescence, but emits a strong blue fluorescence when it recognizes a target base at a specific site in a hybridized strand.

A small-molecule-based approach to sense codon-templated natural-unnatural hybrid peptides. Selective silencing and reassignment of the sense codon by orthogonal reacylation stalling at the single-codon level.

In the presence of the stable sulfamoyl analogue of phenylalanyl adenylate (Phe-SA), the UUU/UUC sense codon for phenylalanine (Phe) can be silenced and reassigned to a naphthylalanine (Nap) conjugated to tRNAPhe. We have demonstrated the efficiency and selectivity or orthogonality of the Phe-to-Nap reassignment induced by an "orthogonal reacylation stalling" strategy at the single-codon level in the translation of mRNAs of dihydrofolate reductase and a 24-mer oligopeptide. We used a prokaryotic translation system with an essential preincubation, during which the endogenous precharged phenylalanyl-tRNAPhe undergoes deacylation and the reacylation of the resulting tRNAPhe is stalled by the action of Phe-SA to inhibit the phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase activity.

Pyrene-labeled base-discriminating fluorescent DNA probes for homogeneous SNP typing.

This paper describes the design of novel base-discriminating fluorescent (BDF) nucleobases and their application to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing. We devised novel BDF nucleosides, (Py)U and (Py)C, which contain a pyrenecarboxamide chromophore connected by a propargyl linker. The fluorescence spectrum of the duplex containing a (Py)U/A base pair showed a strong emission at 397 nm on 327 nm excitation.

Amplified nucleic acid sensing using programmed self-cleaving DNAzyme.

A newly designed target-assisted self-cleavage (TASC) probe composed of a target-binding site and a DNAzyme domain undergoes TASC when activated via hybridization with a target DNA/RNA. This self-splicing or self-dissociation reaction occurs in a catalytic manner with the probe as a substrate and the target as a catalyst, since the fragmented products are automatically released from the target, thus amplifying the sequence information of the latter under non-PCR, i.e.

DNA nanomotor using duplex-quadruplex conformational transition.

For DNA nanomotor, we synthesized 8-Py-dG and incorporated it into d(T3G2)4 which can form quadruplex. We measured CD spectra for this ODN. The result suggested that this ODN was changed from quadruplex to duplex by the hybridization with the complementary strand.

Development of electrochemically gene-analyzing method using DNA-modified electrodes.

For electrochemical DNA sequencing, several redox-responsive uridines modified at C5 were synthesized and site-specifically incorporated into DNA. Self-assembled DNA monolayers were prepared on a gold electrode using the dsDNA containing modified uridines. By measuring differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) using DNA-modified electrodes, the electrochemical response was strongly affected by the site of the redox-responsive uridine in dsDNA.

15N NMR study on site-selective binding of metal ions to guanine runs in DNA: a good correlation with HOMO distribution.

15N NMR of DNA containing 15N-N7-enriched guanine (G) in the presence of paramagnetic ions (Mn(II) and Co(II)) was investigated. As the concentration of metal ion was increased, 15N NMR signals of the 5'G of GG and the middle G of GGG broadened site-selectively, indicating that electron-donating sites in G runs preferentially localize on the 5'G of GG and the middle G of GGG. The selectivity for G-metal ion interaction observed in this study was in good agreement with calculated HOMO distribution of G runs.