Mechanism of antisense effect studied by functionalized oligonucleotides.
In order to study the mechanism of antisense effects, various functional groups such as photocrosslinkers, fluorescent materials, and gold particles were introduced to antisense DNAs. Upon UV-irradiation, the hybrid between DNA and antisense DNA with a photocrosslinker was stabilized. The fluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) represented clear images of antisense DNA in the cultured cells. Fluorescent-labeled S-Oligos were recognized in the cytoplasm and especially on certain organs, which are not specified. TEM images of cultured cells treated with gold-conjugated S-Oligo suggested the mechanism of cellular uptake of antisense DNA.