[Triplex DNA for therapeutics]

Abstract

Application of triplex DNA, including therapeutic use for the genetic diseases, cancers and the diseases caused by viruses, such as AIDS is widely discussed today. The use of triplex DNA for the regulation of gene expression, especially at the transcriptional level, is discussed here by considering three criteria: (1) selection of target polypurine.polypyrimidine sequences, (2) designing triplex DNA to form, and (3) introduction of oligonucleotides into nuclei. This triplex DNA method can be used as an alternate to or in combination with the more popular method using antisense oligonucleotides, which regulates the gene expression at the posttranscriptional stage.