Peptide nucleic acid conjugates and their antimicrobial applications-a mini-review

Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a nucleic acid mimic with high specificity and binding affinity to natural DNA or RNA, as well as resistance to enzymatic degradation. PNA sequences can be designed to selectively silence gene expression, which makes PNA a promising tool for antimicrobial applications. However, the poor membrane permeability of PNA remains the main limiting factor for its applications in cells. To overcome this obstacle, PNA conjugates with different molecules have been developed. This mini-review focuses on covalently linked conjugates of PNA with cell-penetrating peptides, aminosugars, aminoglycoside antibiotics, and non-peptidic molecules that were tested, primarily as PNA carriers, in antibacterial and antiviral applications. The chemistries of the conjugation and the applied linkers are also discussed.

Automated summary

Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a nucleic acid mimic that shows great potential in antimicrobial applications due to its high specificity and resistance to degradation. However, the poor membrane permeability of PNA hinders its applications in cells. To overcome this limitation, PNA conjugates with various molecules, including cell-penetrating peptides, aminosugars, aminoglycoside antibiotics, and non-peptidic molecules, have been developed and tested as carriers for PNA in antibacterial and antiviral applications.