Bio-Synthesis Newsletter - March 2017

Simplify Your Workflow with Synthetic RNA and DNA

Bio-Synthesis is your one-stop provider for custom made RNA, DNA, Oligonucleotides, Oligonucleotide mimics (ODNs) such as Bridged Nucleic Acids (BNA) as well as Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs).

We offer synthetic oligonucleotides commonly used for biochemical and biophysical studies, and for in vivo and pre-clinical applications. Bio-Synthesis is ISO9001 certified for the manufacture of RNA, DNA peptides and viral products including modified oligonucleotides, long RNAs and drug conjugates. 

Bio-Synthesis provides oligonucleotides ranging from µg to gram amounts utilizing optimized chemistry and multiple platforms for the synthesis of RNA and DNA oligonucleotides. The synthesis of long RNAs can be done using chemical synthesis or synthesis by in vitro transcription.

We deliver high quality single stranded or duplex RNA, siRNA, microRNA, in a wide range of modifications, synthesis scales, and purification choices. In addition to pure DNA and RNA oligos, we also synthesize RNA-DNA hybrids. 

Contact us at. 1-800-227-0627 or visit www.biosyn.com.

Tracking of single RNAs

The Dynamics of RNA molecules in cells can be studied by tracking single RNA molecules. Imaging RNAs in living cells allows the study of transcription events of RNA, imaging of the RNA life span, non-coding RNAs, RNA counting, ribonucleoprotein complexes, and mRNPs. Since there are approximately 2500 mRNA molecules present per cell, it is easier to count the number of RNA molecules than the number of protein. Single particle organic dyes and fluorescent proteins allow labeling mRNAs. However, hybridization probes or RNA motifs that bind to fluorescent molecules can also be used. Fluorescently labeled oligonucleotide probes containing FRET pairs allow tracking RNA molecules, but other types of probes can be designed as well.

DNA walker harvests energy

Using “super-resolution” microscopy, researchers have created nanometer – or nano-systems that enable the harvesting of energy. Scientists at Purdue designed a walking system based on DNA and RNA. This walker travels along carbon-nanotube tracks that contain strands of RNA. The synthetic motors are based on DNA and RNA, the genetic materials in cells. The four chemical bases, adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine are the focus of the design. Natural biological motors that perform specific tasks critical to the function of cells are the inspiration for this work.

Rules for pri-miRNA processing

To down-regulate messenger RNA (mRNA) targets, cells need to process ~22 nt RNAs from primary transcripts (pri-miRNAs). Mature microRNAS (miRNAs) are processed from pri-miRNAs containing hairpins. Unfortunately, the details on how these processes work are not well understood. Therefore, Roden et al. set out to find rules that distinguish pri-miRNAs from other hairpin containing transcripts. The researchers proposed that a hairpin stem length of 36 ± 3 nt is optimal for pri-miRNA processing. Two bulge-depleted regions on the miRNA stem, located ∼16–21 nt and ∼28–32 nt from the base of the stem, where identified to be less tolerant of unpaired bases. Also, the scientists showed that a CNNC primary sequence motif selectively enhances the processing of optimal-length hairpins. The reported data suggested that a small but significant fraction of human single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) alter pri-miRNA processing.