Molecular Properties and the Applications of Peptide Nucleic Acids
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioorganic Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2017) | Viewed by 85810
Special Issue Editor
Interests: bioorganic chemistry; nucleic acid recognition; peptide nucleic acids; chirality; stereochemistry; supramolecular chemistry; anti-miR; anti-gene; biosensing technologies
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
After 25 years since their discovery, peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) are still a source of intense inspiration for scientists. Their properties and applications are actively being studied in different fields, from fundamental Chemistry to Biology, Medicine and Material Chemistry, with more than 100 papers published on this topic and more than 5000 citations every year.
As biomolecular tools, PNAs have intriguing properties, with exceptional affinities and sequence selectivities, high biological and chemical stability, and thus high persistence in biological fluids. Due to the relatively scarce structural data, the nature of PNA:DNA and PNA:RNA interactions, and the effect of chemical variation on PNA properties is still an open field of research. The quest for even better binding affinity and sequence selectivity is not over yet, and both modelling techniques and modern synthetic procedures can be fruitfully applied to the design and synthesis of new molecules based on the PNA scaffold. Using a ‘biomolecular engineering’ approach, new functions, in addition to DNA recognition, can be added to PNAs, e.g., cleaving activity, or signalling. In cellular systems, PNAs have proven to be very effective for the regulation of gene expression, especially for applications in which an appropriate cellular delivery system is used. In diagnostics, PNAs are the base of several new ultrasensitive and very specific techniques.
PNAs can also be useful in nanofabrication and in material chemistry as programmable objects that are able to self assemble with a rational scheme. Helical handedness can be controlled in these systems much more easily than in other DNA analogs.
We intend to capture a full picture of this field of research in the journal Molecules with a dedicated Special Issue to be published in 2017. We invite contributions from scientists in all of these areas of research.
Prof. Dr. Roberto Corradini
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- PNA
- modified PNA
- DNA and RNA recognition
- delivery systems
- antisense
- antigene
- anti-miR
- artificial nucleases
- molecular modelling
- molecular dynamics
- solid-phase synthesis
- genosensing
- ultrasensitive techniques
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
Related Special Issue
- Peptide Nucleic Acids: Applications in Biomedical Sciences in Molecules (9 articles)