INHIBITION OF REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE-MEDIATED CDNA SYNTHESIS BY ANTISENSE OLIGONUCLEOTIDES

Unmodified and modified (phosphorothioate) oligonucleotides inhibit cD NA synthesis by reverse transcriptase (RT). Antisense oligonucleotide/ RNA hybrids specifically arrest primer extension. However, phosphoroth ioate oligomer, inhibit polymerization by binding to the AMV RT or MML V RT, rather than to the template RNA. There was no competitive bindin g of the phosphorothioate oligomer to the HIV RT during reverse transc ription.