Target gene knockdown by 2',4'-BNA/LNA antisense oligonucleotides in zebrafish.

Gene knockdowns using oligonucleotide-based approaches are useful for studying gene function in both in vitro cell culture systems and in vivo animal models. We evaluated the efficacy of 2',4'-bridged nucleic acids (BNA)-modified antisense oligonucleotides (AONs) for gene knockdown in zebrafish. We used the tcf7l1a gene as a model for testing the knockdown efficacy of 2',4'-BNA AONs and examined how the target sites/affinity and RNase H induction activity of 2',4'-BNA AONs affect knockdown efficacy. We found that tcf7l1a gene function was knocked down by 2',4'-BNA AONs that target the start codon and induce RNase H activity. Although nonspecific p53-mediated developmental defects were observed at higher doses, the effective dose of the 2',4'-BNA AONs for tcf7l1a is much lower than that of morpholino oligonucleotides. Our data thus show a potential application for 2',4'-BNA AONs in the downregulation of specific genes in zebrafish.