Abstract
Antisense peptide nucleic acid (PNA) can be used to control bacterial gene expression. PNAs are designed to target sequences within messenger RNA and knock-down gene expression. PNAs targeted to the translation initiation region of mRNA are particularly effective and result in mRNA degradation and reduced protein expression from the targeted gene. The antisense effects can be sufficient to alter phenotypes and even kill bacteria. PNAs provide useful tools for the study of bacterial gene function, and with improvements in cell uptake antisense PNAs may find applications as antimicrobial agents. This chapter details methods for designing antisense PNAs and testing their activities in bacteria, including suggestions for control experiments.
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Goh, S., Stach, J., Good, L. (2014). Antisense Effects of PNAs in Bacteria. In: Nielsen, P., Appella, D. (eds) Peptide Nucleic Acids. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1050. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-553-8_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-553-8_18
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