ABSTRACT
Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) are increasingly used as tools to probe neurobiological problems. The basic idea behind the use of antisense ODNs is that a sequence complimentary to the mRNA will bind via hydrogen bonding base-pairing and influence translation. One difficulty in the determination of antisense effectiveness is the selection of the appropriate endpoint for study. Since antisense presumably acts to alter the synthesis cascade, one could measure changes in mRNA, tissue proteins, receptors or biosynthetic turnover. A critical issue in the use of antisense ODNs in neuroendocrine studies is the inclusion of extensive and appropriate controls. Another type of control is the use of antisense to different but similar mRNA or the measurement of several endpoints. Some intriguing aspects of antisense function which may hold clues to their mechanism of action are their rapid onset of action and their lack of effect on basal status and attenuation of stimulated responses.
