Development of photoresponsive RNA towards photos witch ing of RNA functions

By introducing azobenzene into RNA via a D-threoninol linker, the photoresponsive RNA was developed for the photoswitching of RNA hybridization. The T(m) measurements showed that RNA/RNA duplex formation and dissociation could be efficiently photoregulated. The difference in T(m) between trans- and cis-form (DeltaDeltaT(m)) was as large as 9 approximately 12 degrees C when azobenzene was tethered at the central position of a 10-nt-long RNA. Interestingly, photoregulation ability of the azobenzene introduced in RNA was even greater than that in DNA for photoswitching the corresponding duplex formation. The constructed photoresponsive RNA is promising to be applied for the photoregulation of RNA functions such as Ribozyme activity, RNAi, pre-mRNA editing, and aptamer complex formation.