Imperfectly matched nucleic acid complexes and their biochemical manifestation

The review is devoted to the analysis of experimental data on the selectivity of the interaction of nucleic acid with antisense oligonucleotides and their derivatives, which lead to the prospect of achieving a highly selective influence on many biochemical and molecular-genetic processes in living organisms. Theoretical estimates of the level of specificity of the interactions of nucleic acids and the thermodynamic parameters of the formation of perfectly and imperfectly matched complementary complexes are examined in the review. Attention is concentrated on the complementation accuracy of the interaction of DNA and RNA with oligonucleotides and their derivatives in various model systems both in vitro and in vivo. Data on the specificity of the inhibition of translation with the aid of antisense oligonucleotides in model systems in vitro are analysed. The question of the influence of the steric structure of the nucleic acid molecule on the accuracy and efficiency of the interactions with antisense oligonucleotides and their derivatives is discussed. The bibliography includes 247 references.