@unpublished{SednevMykhailiukChoudhuryetal.2018,
  author    = {Sednev, Maksim V. and Mykhailiuk, Volodymyr and Choudhury, Priyanka and Halang, Julia and Sloan, Katherine E. and Bohnsack, Markus T. and H{\"o}bartner, Claudia},
  title     = {N\(^6\)-methyladenosine-sensitive RNA-cleaving deoxyribozymes},
  series = {Angewandte Chemie, International Edition},
  journal   = {Angewandte Chemie, International Edition},
  doi       = {https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201808745},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-171753},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Deoxyribozymes are synthetic enzymes made of DNA that can catalyze the cleavage or formation of phosphodiester bonds and are useful tools for RNA biochemistry. Here we report new RNA-cleaving deoxyribozymes to interrogate the methylation status of target RNAs, thereby providing an alternative method for the biochemical validation of RNA methylation sites containing N\(^6\)-methyladenosine, which is the most wide-spread and extensively investigated natural RNA modification. Using in vitro selection from random DNA, we developed deoxyribozymes that are sensitive to the presence of N\(^6\)-methyladenosine in RNA near the cleavage site. One class of these DNA enzymes shows faster cleavage of methylated RNA, while others are strongly inhibited by the modified nucleotide. The general applicability of the new deoxyribozymes is demonstrated for several examples of natural RNA sequences, including a lncRNA and a set of C/D box snoRNAs, which have been suggested to contain m\(^6\)A as a regulatory element that influences RNA folding and protein binding.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{OroujiPeitschOroujietal.2020,
  author    = {Orouji, Elias and Peitsch, Wiebke K. and Orouji, Azadeh and Houben, Roland and Utikal, Jochen},
  title     = {Oncogenic role of an epigenetic reader of m\(^6\)A RNA modification: YTHDF1 in Merkel cell carcinoma},
  series = {Cancers},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Cancers},
  number    = {1},
  issn      = {2072-6694},
  doi       = {10.3390/cancers12010202},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-200815},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Merkel cell carcinoma is a deadly skin cancer, which in the majority of cases is caused by the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). The viral small T antigen is regarded as the dominant oncoprotein expressed in the tumor cells. We used genomic screening of copy number aberrations along with transcriptomic analysis to investigate regions with amplification that harbor differentially expressed genes. We identified YTHDF1, a protein that is a reader of N\(^6\)-methyladenosine (m\(^6\)A) RNA modifications, to have high copy gains and to be highly expressed in Merkel cell carcinoma. Importantly, we identified the presence of m\(^6\)A on small T antigen mRNA suggesting a relation between YTHDF1 amplification and MCPyV gene expression. Interestingly, knockdown of YTHDF1 in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) cell lines negatively affected the translation initiation factor eIF3 and reduced proliferation and clonogenic capacity in vitro. Furthermore, analysis of survival data revealed worse overall survival in YTHDF1\(^{high}\) MCC patients compared to YTHDF1\(^{low}\) patients. Our findings indicate a novel oncogenic role of YTHDF1 through m\(^6\)A machinery in the tumorigenesis of MCC.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LiaqatStillerMicheletal.2020,
  author    = {Liaqat, Anam and Stiller, Carina and Michel, Manuela and Sednev, Maksim V. and H{\"o}bartner, Claudia},
  title     = {N\(^6\)-Isopentenyladenosine in RNA Determines the Cleavage Site of Endonuclease Deoxyribozymes},
  series = {Angewandte Chemie International Edition},
  journal   = {Angewandte Chemie International Edition},
  edition   = {Early View},
  doi       = {10.1002/ange.202006218},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-212121},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {RNA-cleaving deoxyribozymes can serve as selective sensors and catalysts to examine the modification state of RNA. However, site-specific endonuclease deoxyribozymes that selectively cleave posttranscriptionally modified RNA are extremely rare and their specificity over unmodified RNA is low. In this study, we report that the native tRNA modification N\(^6\)-isopentenyladenosine (i\(^6\)A) strongly enhances the specificity and has the power to reconfigure the active site of an RNA-cleaving deoxyribozyme. Using in vitro selection, we identified a DNA enzyme that cleaves i\(^6\)A-modified RNA at least 2500-fold faster than unmodified RNA. Another deoxyribozyme shows unique and unprecedented behaviour by shifting its cleavage site in the presence of the i\(^6\)A RNA modification. Together with deoxyribozymes that are strongly inhibited by i\(^6\)A, these results highlight intricate ways of modulating the catalytic activity of DNA by posttranscriptional RNA modifications.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LiaqatSednevStilleretal.2021,
  author    = {Liaqat, Anam and Sednev, Maksim V. and Stiller, Carina and H{\"o}bartner, Claudia},
  title     = {RNA-cleaving deoxyribozymes differentiate methylated cytidine isomers in RNA},
  series = {Angewandte Chemie International Edition},
  volume    = {60},
  journal   = {Angewandte Chemie International Edition},
  doi       = {10.1002/anie.202106517},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-256519},
  pages     = {19058-19062},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Deoxyribozymes are emerging as modification-specific endonucleases for the analysis of epigenetic RNA modifications. Here, we report RNA-cleaving deoxyribozymes that differentially respond to the presence of natural methylated cytidines, 3-methylcytidine (m\(^3\)C), N\(^4\)-methylcytidine (m\(^4\)C), and 5-methylcytidine (m\(^5\)C), respectively. Using in vitro selection, we found several DNA catalysts, which are selectively activated by only one of the three cytidine isomers, and display 10- to 30-fold accelerated cleavage of their target m\(^3\)C-, m\(^4\)C- or m\(^5\)C-modified RNA. An additional deoxyribozyme is strongly inhibited by any of the three methylcytidines, but effectively cleaves unmodified RNA. The mXC-detecting deoxyribozymes are programmable for the interrogation of natural RNAs of interest, as demonstrated for human mitochondrial tRNAs containing known m\(^3\)C and m\(^5\)C sites. The results underline the potential of synthetic functional DNA to shape highly selective active sites.},
  language  = {en}
}