Effects of Chemically Modified Messenger RNA on Protein Expression

Chemically modified nucleotides play significant roles in the effectiveness of mRNA translation. Here, we describe the synthesis of two sets of chemically modified mRNAs [encoding firefly Luciferase (FLuc) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP), respectively], evaluation of protein expression, and correlation analysis of expression level under various conditions. The results indicate that chemical modifications of mRNAs are able to significantly improve protein expression, which is dependent on cell types and coding sequences. Moreover, eGFP mRNAs with N₁-methylpseudouridine (me¹Ψ), 5-methoxyuridine (5moU), and pseudouridine (Ψ) modifications ranked top three in cell lines tested. Interestingly, 5moU-modified eGFP mRNA was more stable than other eGFP mRNAs. Consequently, me¹Ψ, 5moU, and Ψ are promising nucleotides for chemical modification of mRNAs.