Locked and Unlocked Nucleosides in Functional Nucleic Acids

Abstract

Nucleic acids are able to adopt a plethora of structures, many of which are of interest in therapeutics, bio- or nanotechnology. However, structural and biochemical stability is a major concern which has been addressed by incorporating a range of modifications and nucleoside derivatives. This review summarizes the use of locked nucleic acid (LNA) and un-locked nucleic acid (UNA) monomers in functional nucleic acids such as aptamers, ribozymes, and DNAzymes.

Keywords

• locked nucleic acid (LNA)
• unlocked nucleic acid (UNA)
• aptamer
• ribozyme
• deoxyribozymes (DNAzyme)