DNA oligonucleotides encoding suppressor tRNA induce readthrough of premature termination codon.

DNA oligonucleotides encoding suppressor tRNA induce PTC readthrough in cultured cells without additional promoters.

• Why it matters: Nonsense mutations cause protein truncation and are challenging to treat due to RNA degradation and delivery issues, highlighting the need for alternative therapeutic strategies.
• What they did: Researchers transfected DNA oligonucleotides encoding suppressor tRNA sequences into cultured cells and observed PTC readthrough; they also used microRNAs and an RNA Pol III inhibitor to investigate the mechanism.
• The result: Findings indicate that suppressor tRNAs are transcribed from DNA oligonucleotides in cells, suggesting DNA oligonucleotides could serve as a novel approach for nonsense mutation repair via suppressor tRNA expression.