Highly Efficient Gene Suppression by Chemically Modified 27 Nucleotide Double-Stranded RNAs

RNA interference (RNAi) technology, described by Fire and Mello in 1998, is a powerful tool for the suppression of gene expression in mammalian cells. RNAi technology has several advantages over other chemical and genetic drugs. However, several problems in RNAi technology, such as cellular delivery, nuclease stability, and side effects, should be solved before applying it in the clinic. In this study, we focused on the development of novel chemically modified 27 nucleotide (nt) double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) with improved biological properties. Our chemically modified 27 nt dsRNAs exhibited an enhanced RNAi activity and a markedly increased stability in cell culture medium (containing 10% serum) in comparison with widely used 21 nt siRNAs and recently reported nonmodified 27 nt dsRNAs. The chemically modified 27 nt dsRNAs also exhibited a strong high long-term gene silencing effect after the 7 d treatment of viable cells. The chemically modified 27 nt dsRNAs in specific positions could be processed to 21 nt siRNAs by a recombinant Dicer enzyme. We suggested that the chemically modified 27 nt dsRNAs could be used for therapeutic applications (as genetic drugs) and bioanalyses