Peptide nucleic acids directed to the promoter of the alpha-chain of the interleukin-2 receptor.

Two 10-mer oligopyrimidine peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) were designed to interfere with IL-2R alpha promoter expression by binding to the regulatory sequences overlapping SRF and NF-kappa B transcription factor sites. Specific complexes were formed on each target sequence, and clearly involved (1) Hoogsteen hydrogen bonds as shown by experiments in which the purine strand of a single or double-stranded target was substituted with 7-deazadeoxyguanosine, (2) P-loop formation on double-helical DNA as evidenced by susceptibility to a single-strand-specific nuclease. When formed on a single-stranded DNA target, these highly stable complexes were responsible for efficient physical blockage of T7 DNA polymerase elongation on the template DNA containing the target oligopurine sequence. On a double-stranded target, these complexes only formed at low ionic strength and were slowly dissociated at physiological ionic strength (pH 6.5) with a t1/2 of 6.5-7 h. The salt-dependent instability of preformed complexes on a plasmid target was probably the critical factor responsible for their lack of significant sequence-specific effect on IL-2R alpha promoter activity inside living cells.