Inhibition of HIV-1 replication by chimeric phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotides applied in free solution.

Oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) containing a variable number of 3' and 5' terminal phosphorothioate linkages were applied in free solution to cells infected by HIV-1. ODNs of 28 nt length were applied at up to 5 microM concentration. The ODNs were found to inhibit HIV-1 infection in a dose dependent manner, which correlated with the number of modified linkages (4, 8 and 12, respectively). A target sequence in the HIV-1 rev mRNA, previously reported as sensitive to antisense inhibition by full length phosphorothioate ODNs, only revealed non-sequence dependent inhibition of HIV-1, when tested by these modified chimers.