Yoshinaga Naoto, Miyamoto Takaaki, Goto Mami, Tanaka Atsuko, Numata Keiji
Biomacromolecule Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Tsuruoka-shi, Yamagata 997-0017, Japan.
JACS Au. 2024 Mar 22;4(4):1385-1395. doi: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00767. eCollection 2024 Apr 22.
Brown algae play essential roles ecologically, practically, and evolutionarily because they maintain coastal areas, capture carbon dioxide, and produce valuable chemicals such as therapeutic drugs. To unlock their full potential, understanding the unique molecular biology of brown algae is imperative. Genetic engineering tools that regulate homeostasis in brown algae are essential for determining their biological mechanisms in detail. However, few methodologies have been developed to control gene expression due to the robust structural barriers of brown algae. To address this issue, we designed peptide-based, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-loaded micelles decorated with phenylboronic acid (PBA) ligands. The PBA ligands facilitated the cellular uptake of the micelles into a model brown alga, (), through chemical interaction with polysaccharides in the cell wall and biological recognition by boronic acid transporters on the plasma membrane. The micelles, featuring "kill two birds with one stone" ligands, effectively induced gene silencing related to auxin biosynthesis. As a result, the growth of was temporarily inhibited without persistent genome editing. This study demonstrated the potential for exploring the characteristics of brown algae through a simple yet effective approach and presented a feasible system for delivering siRNA in brown algae.
褐藻在生态、实际应用和进化方面都发挥着重要作用，因为它们维护着沿海地区、捕获二氧化碳，并产生诸如治疗药物等有价值的化学物质。为了充分发挥它们的潜力，了解褐藻独特的分子生物学至关重要。调节褐藻体内稳态的基因工程工具对于详细确定其生物学机制必不可少。然而，由于褐藻强大的结构屏障，很少有方法被开发用于控制基因表达。为了解决这个问题，我们设计了负载有基于肽的小干扰RNA（siRNA）且用苯硼酸（PBA）配体修饰的胶束。PBA配体通过与细胞壁中的多糖进行化学相互作用以及被质膜上的硼酸转运蛋白进行生物识别，促进了胶束被细胞摄取到一种模式褐藻（）中。这些具有“一石二鸟”配体的胶束有效地诱导了与生长素生物合成相关的基因沉默。结果，（该褐藻）的生长被暂时抑制，且无需进行持续的基因组编辑。这项研究展示了通过一种简单而有效的方法探索褐藻特性的潜力，并提出了一个在褐藻中递送siRNA的可行系统。
