Fabrication of 14 different RNA nanoparticles for specific tumor targeting without accumulation in normal organs

Yi Shu, Farzin Haque, Dan Shu, Wei Li, Zhenqi Zhu, Malak Kotb, Yuri Lyubchenko, Peixuan Guo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

124 Scopus citations

Abstract

Due to structural flexibility, RNase sensitivity, and serum instability, RNA nanoparticles with concrete shapes for in vivo application remain challenging to construct. Here we report the construction of 14 RNA nanoparticles with solid shapes for targeting cancers specifically. These RNA nanoparticles were resistant to RNase degradation, stable in serum for >36 h, and stable in vivo after systemic injection. By applying RNA nanotechnology and exemplifying with these 14 RNA nanoparticles, we have established the technology and developed "toolkits" utilizing a variety of principles to construct RNA architectures with diverse shapes and angles. The structure elements of phi29 motor pRNA were utilized for fabrication of dimers, twins, trimers, triplets, tetramers, quadruplets, pentamers, hexamers, heptamers, and other higher-order oligomers, as well as branched diverse architectures via hand-in-hand, foot-to-foot, and arm-on-arm interactions. These novel RNA nanostructures harbor resourceful functionalities for numerous applications in nanotechnology and medicine. It was found that all incorporated functional modules, such as siRNA, ribozymes, aptamers, and other functionalities, folded correctly and functioned independently within the nanoparticles. The incorporation of all functionalities was achieved prior, but not subsequent, to the assembly of the RNA nanoparticles, thus ensuring the production of homogeneous therapeutic nanoparticles. More importantly, upon systemic injection, these RNA nanoparticles targeted cancer exclusively in vivo without accumulation in normal organs and tissues. These findings open a new territory for cancer targeting and treatment. The versatility and diversity in structure and function derived from one biological RNA molecule implies immense potential concealed within the RNA nanotechnology field.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)767-777
Number of pages11
JournalRNA
Volume19
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2013

Keywords

  • Bacteriophage phi29
  • Nanobiotechnology
  • RNA nanoparticle
  • RNA nanotechnology
  • RNA therapeutics
  • Target delivery

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Molecular Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Fabrication of 14 different RNA nanoparticles for specific tumor targeting without accumulation in normal organs'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this