Potential therapeutic applications of decoy oligonucleotides.

Recent progress in molecular biology has provided new techniques with which to inhibit target gene expression. In particular, the application of DNA technologies, such as antisense oligonucleotide (ODN) strategies to regulate the transcription of disease-related genes in vivo, have significant therapeutic potential. Recently, transfection of cis-element double-stranded oligonucleotides (decoy ODNs) has been reported as a new powerful tool in a new class of anti-gene strategies for gene therapy. Transfection of double-stranded ODN corresponding to the cis sequence will result in attenuation of the authentic cis-trans interaction, leading to removal of trans-factors from the endogenous cis-elements with subsequent modulation of gene expression.