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Optimized Preparation of a 99mTc-Radiolabeled Probe for Tracing MicroRNA

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Abstract

Antisense oligonucleotides have been used for a variety of purposes in microRNA (miRNA) research including functional evaluation, target recognition, and gene studies. Although several 99mTc-radiolabeled oligonucleotides have been reported in antisense imaging, none of those were related to miRNA tracing. Moreover, separation after labeling was always required to achieve acceptable radiochemical purity. In this study, we prepared a 99mTc-radiolabeled oligonucleotide under optimized conditions for the purpose of tracing miRNA. A 22mer anti-miRNA oligonucleotide (AMO) was designed completely complementary to the sequence of mature miR-21. AMO probe modified with 2′-O-Methyl and phosphorothioate backbone was designed and synthesized. This probe was conjugated with a bifunctional chelator S-acetylmercaptoacetyltriglycine (NHS-MAG3) via a primary amine on 5′-end. Furthermore, it was radiolabeled and its optimization labeling conditions were performed by varying the amount of stannous ion, 99mTc-pertecnetate, and reaction time, respectively. Finally, the labeled product was identified by gel electrophoresis and evaluated for its serum stability. The AMO was synthesized with partial 2′-OMe and phosphorothioate modification to improve its stability. Excess of MAG3 impurity was removed by precipitation of tin and MAG3 after the conjugation. The labeling efficiency reached 97 % under the optimal reaction conditions of 2 μg/μL SnCl2·2H2O addition, 99mTc solution with high specific activity, and 90-min reaction at room temperature. Gel electrophoresis confirmed that the peak of radioactivity located the same position of oligomer, which identified the successful radiolabeling. After incubated with human fresh serum for 12 h, labeled AMO showed good stability with high radiochemical purity and no significant degradation. A 99mTc-labeled AMO targeting miR-21 can be prepared with high labeling efficiency under optimized conditions, which provides a good support for the future use of miRNA-targeted tracing and imaging.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 81101065, 31100604, 81441051 and 81472589), National Major Scientific Equipment Special Fund (2011YQ03011409), the Higher Education Doctoral Program of China Research Fund for New Teacher (20110001120043), Beijing Capital Special Development Application Program (Z141107002514159), and Beijing Nova Program (Z141102001814055).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Peking University First Hospital, No. 8 St. Xishiku, Beijing, 100034, China

    Lei Kang, Chao Ma, Rong-fu Wang, Ping Yan, Chun-li Zhang & Hong-wei Sun

  2. Department of Medical Molecular Biology, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, 100850, China

    Xiao-jie Xu

  3. Center of Biological Diagnosis and Therapy, No. 261 Hospital of PLA, Beijing, 100094, China

    Ding Li

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  1. Lei Kang
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  2. Xiao-jie Xu
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  4. Rong-fu Wang
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  5. Ping Yan
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  6. Chun-li Zhang
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  7. Hong-wei Sun
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Rong-fu Wang or Ding Li.

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Lei Kang, Xiao-jie Xu, and Chao Ma have contributed equally to this work.

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Kang, L., Xu, Xj., Ma, C. et al. Optimized Preparation of a 99mTc-Radiolabeled Probe for Tracing MicroRNA. Cell Biochem Biophys 71, 905–912 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12013-014-0281-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12013-014-0281-1

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