Double-Stranded Oligonucleotides

A double-stranded oligonucleotide composition having the structure:

• wherein
• (1) oligoA is an oligonucleotide of a number of nucleomonomers;
• (2) oligoB is an oligonucleotide that has the same number of nucleomonomers as oligoA and that is complementary to oligoA;
• (3) either oligoA or oligoB corresponds to a target gene sequence;
• (4) X is selected from a group consisting of (a) nothing;
• (b) an oligonucleotide of about 1 to about 20 nucleotides covalently bonded to the 5′ end of oligoA and constituting a 5′ overhang;
• (c) an oligonucleotide of about 1 to about 20 nucleotides covalently bonded to the 3′ end of oligoB and constituting a 3′ overhang;
• (d) and an oligonucleotide of about 4 to about 20 nucleomonomers covalently bonded to the 3′ end of oligoB and the 5′ end of oligoA and constituting a loop structure, where the nucleomonomers are selected from the group consisting of G and A and
• (5) Y is selected from a group consisting of (a) nothing;
• (b) an oligonucleotide of about 1 to about 20 nucleotides covalently bonded to the 5′ end of oligoB and constituting a 5′ overhang;
• (c) an oligonucleotide of about 1 to about 20 nucleotides covalently bonded to the 3′ end of oligoA and constituting a 3′ overhang;
• (d) and an oligonucleotide of about 4 to about 20 nucleomonomers covalently bonded to the 3′ end of oligoA and the 5′ end of oligoB and constituting a loop structure, where the nucleomonomers are selected from the group consisting of G and A.

A double-stranded oligonucleotide composition having the structure:

• 5′-(Z)2-8-(N)15-40-(M)2-8-3′
• 3′-(Z)2-8-(N)15-40-(M)2-8-5′
• wherein
• (1) each of N, Z, and M is independently a nucleomonomer;
• (2) both of the sequences of Ns are complementary oligonucleotide strands of equal length having between about 15 and about 40 nucleomonomers;
• (3) at least one of the sequences of Ns, optionally with some or all of the flanking Ms or Zs, corresponds to a target gene sequence;
• (4) both of the sequences of Zs are complementary oligonucleotide strands of between about 2 and about 8 nucleomonomers in length;
• and
• (5) both of the sequences of Ms are complementary oligonucleotide strands of between about 2 and about 8 nucleomonomers in length.

A double-stranded oligonucleotide composition having the structure:

• wherein
• (1) N is a nucleomonomer in complementary oligonucleotide strands of equal length and where the sequence of Ns corresponds to a target gene sequence and
• (2) X is selected from the group consisting of nothing;
• 1-20 nucleotides of 5′ overhang;
• 1-20 nucleotides of 3′ overhang;
• a loop structure consisting of from about 4 to about 20 nucleomonomers, where the nucleomonomers are selected from the group consisting of G and A, and
• (3) where M is a nucleomonomer in complementary oligonucleotide strands of between about 2 and about 8 nucleomonomers in length which optionally correspond to the target sequence.

A double-stranded oligonucleotide composition having the structure:

• wherein
• (1) oligoA is 5′-(N)15-40-(M)2-8-3′ and oligoB is 5′-(N)15-40-(M)2-8-3′, wherein each of N and M is independently a nucleomonomer;
• (2) both of the sequences of Ns are complementary oligonucleotide strands of equal length having between about 15 and 40 nucleomonomers;
• (3) at least one of the sequences of Ns, optionally with some or all of the flanking Ms, corresponds to a target gene sequence;
• (4) X is selected from a group consisting of (a) nothing;
• (b) an oligonucleotide of about 1 to about 20 nucleotides covalently bonded to the 5′ end of oligoA and constituting a 5′ overhang;
• (c) an oligonucleotide of about 1 to about 20 nucleotides covalently bonded to the 3′ end of oligoB and constituting a 3′ overhang;
• (d) and an oligonucleotide of about 4 to about 20 nucleomonomers covalently bonded to the 3′ end of oligoB and the 5′ end of oligoA and constituting a loop structure, where the nucleomonomers are selected from the group consisting of G and A;
• and
• (5) both of the sequences of Ms are complementary oligonucleotide strands of between about 2 and about 8 nucleomonomers in length.

A double-stranded oligonucleotide composition having the structure:

• wherein
• (1) N is a nucleomonomer in complementary oligonucleotide strands of equal length and which correspond to a target gene sequence and
• (2) Y is selected from the group consisting of nothing;
• 1-20 nucleotides of 5′ overhang;
• 1-20 nucleotides of 3′ overhang;
• a loop consisting of a sequence of from about 4 to about 20 nucleomonomers, where the nucleomonomers are all either Gs or A's and
• (3) where Z is a are nucleomonomer in complementary oligonucleotide strands of between about 2 and about 8 nucleomonomers in length and which comprise a sequence which can optionally correspond to the target sequence.

A double-stranded oligonucleotide composition having the structure:

• wherein
• (1) oligoA is 5′-(Z)2-8-(N)12-40-3′ and oligoB is 5′-(Z)2-8-(N)12-40-3′, wherein each of N and Z is independently a nucleomonomer;
• (2) both of the sequences of Ns are complementary oligonucleotide strands of equal length having between about 12 and 40 nucleomonomers;
• 3) at least one of the sequences of Ns, optionally with some or all of the flanking Zs, corresponds to a target gene sequence;
• (4) Y is selected from a group consisting of (a) nothing;
• (b) an oligonucleotide of about 1 to about 20 nucleotides covalently bonded to the 5′ end of oligoB and constituting a 5′ overhang;
• (c) an oligonucleotide of about 1 to about 20 nucleotides covalently bonded to the 3′ end of oligoA and constituting a 3′ overhang;
• (d) and an oligonucleotide of about 4 to about 20 nucleomonomers covalently bonded to the 3′ end of oligoA and the 5′ end of oligoB and constituting a loop structure, where the nucleomonomers are selected from the group consisting of G and A;
• and
• (5) both of the sequences of Zs are complementary oligonucleotide strands of between about 2 and about 8 nucleomonomers in length.