Studies on antisense inhibition of translation in vitro Anomalies and re-evaluation

AbstractExperiments were carried out to better characterize antisense control of translation, Results in an E. coli system confirmed specific inhibition of poly(U) translation. At low concentrations, certain homopolymers (including poly(rA)) stimulated translation, Oligo(dA) was inhibitory at 1158. Translation of globin mRNA in reticulocyte lysates indicated that ssDNA 15-mers targeted at β-globin mRNA inhibited both α- and β-globin production. Sequences targeted immediately downstream of the AUG were the least effective in inhibition. These and other anomalies are discussed here in relation to those of others, emphasizing caution in performing antisense experiments