Abstract: This invention relates to antisense oligonucleotides that target mRNAs in cells as substrates for the cellular enzyme RNase H and thereby cause specific degradation of the targeted mRNA. The oligonucleotides have three components: an RNase H activating region, a complementary region and 3? and 5? ends. The invention optimizes each of the components to resist intracellular nucleases, to increase hybridization to target mRNA, to specifically inactivate target mRNA in cells, and to decrease cytotoxicity.

Abstract: This invention relates to antisense oligonucleotides that target mRNAs in cells as substrates for the cellular enzyme RNase H and thereby cause specific degradation of the targeted mRNA. The oligonucleotides have three components: an RNase H activating region, a complementary region and 3? and 5? ends. The invention optimizes each of the components to resist intracellular nucleases, to increase hybridization to target mRNA, to specifically inactivate target mRNA in cells, and to decrease cytotoxicity.

Abstract: The invention provides a class of oligonucleotide that is optimized to target a specific RNA for RNAse H degradation and to be itself resistant to degradation within in plasma and within eukaryotic, especially mammalian cells. The oligonucleotides of the invention contain no naturally occurring 5′→3′-linked nucleotides. Rather, the invention provides oligonucleotides having two types of nucleotides: 2′-deoxyphosphorothioate, which activate RNase H, and 2′-modified nucleotides, which do not. The linkages between the 2′-modified nucleotides can be phosphodiesters, phosphorothioate or P-ethoxyphosphodiester. Activation of RNAse H is accomplished by a contiguous, RNAse H-activating region, which contains between three and five 2′-deoxyphosphorothioate nucleotides to activate bacterial RNAse H and between five and ten 2′-deoxyphosphorothioate nucleotides to activate eukaryotic and, particularly, mammalian RNAse H.

Abstract: This invention relates to antisense oligonucleotides that target mRNAs in cells as substrates for the cellular enzyme RNase H and thereby cause specific degradation of the targeted mRNA. The oligonucleotides have three components: a RNase H activating region, a complementarity region and 3' and 5' ends. The invention optimizes each of the components to resist intracellular nucleases, to increase hybridization to target mRNA, to specifically inactivate target mRNA in cells, and to decrease cytotoxicity.

Abstract: Compositions and methods of treating androgen-associated hair loss, in particular decreasing the progression of male pattern baldness using a nucleoside Oligomer or Oligomers useful in the described methods are provided.

Abstract: This invention relates to antisense oligonucleotides that target mRNAs in cells as substrates for the cellular enzyme RNase H and thereby cause specific degradation of the targeted mRNA. The oligonucleotides have three components: a RNase H activating region, a complementarity region and 3' and 5' ends. The invention optimizes each of the components to resist intracellular nucleases, to increase hybridization to target mRNA, to specifically inactivate target mRNA in cells, and to decrease cytotoxicity.