Chemically Modified mocRNAs for Highly Efficient Protein Expression in Mammalian Cells

Abstract

mRNA has recently been established as a new class of therapeutics, due to its programmability and ability to produce proteins of interest rapidly <i>in vivo</i>. Despite its demonstrated utility, mRNA as a protein expression platform remains limited by its translational capacity and RNA stability. Here, we introduce <u>m</u>essenger-<u>o</u>ligonucleotide <u>c</u>onjugated <u>RNAs</u> (mocRNAs) to enable site-specific, robust, and modularized encoding of chemical modifications for highly efficient and stable protein expression. In mocRNA constructs, chemically synthesized oligonucleotides are ligated to the 3' terminus of mRNA substrates to protect poly(A) tails from degradation, without compromising their potency in stimulating translation. As a proof-of-concept, mocRNAs modified by deadenylase-resistant oligonucleotides result in augmented protein production by factors of 2-4 in human HeLa cells and by 10-fold in primary rat cortical neuronal cultures. By directly linking enzymatic and organic synthesis of mRNA, we envision that the mocRNA design will open new avenues to expand the chemical space and translational capacity of RNA-based vectors in basic research and therapeutic applications.