Russian-American Laboratory of Biomedical Chemistry

Prof. Syndey Altman,
Professor of Yale university, USA
Nobel prize winner in chemistry (1989)

Russian-American laboratory of biomedical chemistry was founded with support of Ministry of education and science of Russian Federation in SB RAS Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine in 2013, as organization department for scientific research in frame of “Oligonucleotide-based RNA-targeting antibacterial and antiviral therapeutics” project. The project is directed to solving the problem of directed treating of bacterial and virus diseases via creating effective and safe agents of new generation based on RNA-targeting oligonucleotides. Aim of this project is the development of antibacterial and antiviral agents based on oligonucleotides, their analogs and derivatives or conjugates.

• Developing of approaches to getting oligonucleotide analogs and bioconjugates, which are able to effectively block functions of specific RNAs, namely: i) getting nuclease-resistant modified oligonucleotide analogs able to build firm complexes with RNA targets; ii) getting oligonucleotide conjugates containing transport molecules which are responsible for penetration into bacterial and eukaryotic cells.
• Widening of fundamental knowledge in field of RNA structure and interactions, mechanisms of penetration of nucleic acids into bacterial and eukaryotic cells, which is necessary for development of oligonucleotide analogs influencing intracellular RNA, namely: i) screening of antibacterial activity of analogs and nucleotide conjugates in respect to Pseudumonas aeruginosa, Staphilococcus aureus; ii) screening of antiviral activity of analogs and oligonucleotide conjugates in respect to Influenza virus WSN33/A/H1N1; iii) optimization of structure and types of modifications of oligonucleotides for rising their ability to penetrate into bacterial and eukaryotic cells; iv) determination of antibacterial and antiviral potential of selected leading molecules in vitro and in vivo experiments.
• Organization of laboratory for carrying out world level innovative studies focused on development of new effective and specific therapy methods influencing RNA-targets, which are based on use of oligonucleotide analogs and conjugates.
• Highly qualified scientists training in the field of nucleic acid chemistry, molecular biology and biotechnology, who will be able to use their skills for development of novel medicine.
  

1. Apartsin E.K., Buyanova M.Yu., Novopashina D.S., Ryabchikova E.I., Filatov A.V., Zenkova M.A., Venyaminova A.G. Novel Multifunctional Hybrids of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Nucleic Acids: Synthesis and Interactions with Living Cells. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces. 2014. 6(3), 1454-1461.
2. Tonin Y., Heckel A.-M., Vysokikh M., Dovydenko I.S., Meshchaninova M.I., Venyaminova A.G., Tarassov I., Entelis N. Modelling of antigenomic therapy of mitochondrial diseases by imported RNA targeting a pathogenic point mutation in mtDNA. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2014.
3. Kupryushkin M.S., Nekrasov M.D., Stetsenko D.A., and Pyshnyi D.V. Efficient Functionalization of Oligonucleotides by New Achiral Nonnucleosidic Monomers. Org. Let. 2014. dx.doi.org/10.1021/ol500668n., in press.
4. Vinogradova O.A., Lomzov A.A., Shevelev G.Yu., Sheglov D.V., Latyshev A.V., Stetsenko D.A., and Pyshnyi D.V. Nanorings from concatemeric DNA: Chemical modification drives nanostructure formation. Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. 2014, V. 14, doi:10.1166/jnn.2014.9796, in press.
5. S. Altman. Antibiotics: present and future. FEBS Journal. 2013. V. 280, S. 1, p. 1.
6. Vorobyeva M.A., Timoshenko V.V., Tivanova A.S., Fokina A.A., Timofeyeva N.A., Nevinsky G.A., Venyaminova A.G. Selection and properties of 2′-modified RNA aptamers against MBP-specific autoantibodies from patients with multiple sclerosis. FEBS Journal. 2013. V. 280, S. 1, p. 334.
7. Maslov M.A., Morozova N., Kabilova T.O., Zenkova M.A. Cationic liposomes for efficient delivery of nucleic acids. FEBS Journal. 2013. V. 280, S. 1, p. 83.
8. Chernikov I.V., Petrova N.S., Meshchaninova M.I., Dovydenko I.S., Venyaminova A.G., Zenkova M.A., Vlassov V.V., Chernolovskaya E.L. The interaction of lipophilic derivatives of siRNA with hematopoietic and tumor cells. FEBS Journal. 2013. V. 280, S. 1, p. 81.
9. Brenner E.V., Brouchkov A.V., Griva G.I., Kashuba E., Kashuba I., Kurilschikov A.M., Melefors O., Repin V.E., Melnikov V.P., Vlassov V.V. The draft genome sequence of Bacillus cereus F strain, isolated from ancient permafrost sample. FEBS Journal. 2013. V. 280, S. 1, p. 77.
10. Lomzov A.A., Vorobjev Y.N., Pyshnyi D.V. Molecular dynamics simulation approach for DNA duplex thermal stability prediction. FEBS Journal. 2013. V. 280, S. 1, рр 539-540.
11. Dmitrienko E.V., Tronin A.V., Popov V.P., Pyshnaya I.A., Pyshnyi D.V., Immobiliztion of biomolecular probes on Si/SiO2 surface. NSU Vestnik. Series: biology, clinical medicine, Novosibirsk. 2013, 11 (4), 35-43.
12. Butorin A., Novopashina D.S., Krasheninina O.A., Nozeret K., Venyaminova A.G. Fluorescent Probes for Nucleic Acid Visualization in Fixed and Live Cells. Molecules. 2013. 18(12). 15357-15397.
13. Kholodar S.A., Novopashina D.S., Meschaninova M.I., Venyaminova A.G. Multipyrene tandem probes for point mutations detection in DNA. Journal of Nucleic Acids. 2013. P. 1-12. ID 860457.

1. Stetsenko D.A., Kupryushkin M.S., Pyshnyi D.V. Oligonucleotide derivatives containing one or more modified phosphate groups, and method of their synthesis. RF Patent Request N.2014117293, 29.04.2014.

About Russian-American Laboratory
Publications

Professor Sydney Altman - American biochemist and molecular biologist, Nobel Prize laureate - carries out academic advising of researches in new Russian-American laboratory. Prof. Altman was born in Montreal, achieved bachelor’ degree in Massachusetts’ technological university (1960) and PhD degree in Colorado university (1967). Since 1971 he is working in Yale university (professor since 1980, in 1983-1985 department director, in 1985-1989 dean of Yale college). Prof. Altman' achievements in biochemistry and molecular biology: He studied enzymatic machinery of special chemical transformations of polynucleotide RNA links and catalytic features of revealed by him R-ribonuclease which is participating in process of maturation of transport RNA. He established that R-ribonuclease is actually a complex particle consisting of RNA molecule and one (in procaryotes) or several (in eucaryotes) proteins. It was accepted that its catalytic activity is determined by protein subunit. Prof. Altman showed (1983) that protein part separated from RNA doesn’t possess enzymatic activity, and catalytic activity is shown by RNA molecule (some time earlier T. Check revealed the catalytic activity of RNA). Altman’s and Check’s discovery is very important not only for gene engineering, biochemistry and medicine, but also for understanding of chemical mechanism of beginnings of life on Earth. Prof. S. Altman won the Nobel prize in chemistry “for discovering of catalytic activity of ribonucleic acids” (1989, together with T. Check).