ASOG: AntiSense Oligonucleotide Generator.

Abstract

Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are used in both fundamental research and clinical applications to modulate gene expression by targeting the RNA transcript of specific genes. Historically, ASOs were designed manually, a time-consuming process that limited exhaustive searches through the ASO space. More recently, resources have been developed based on traditional or deep learning approaches to facilitate ASO design, each with their specific use cases and limitations. In this context, we propose an original and generalistic pipeline for ASO design, based on explicit criteria, original algorithms, and third-party software, encapsulated in a web application we named AntiSense Oligonucleotide Generator (ASOG). The ASOG pipeline requires only a target gene sequence as input, and it proceeds with ASO generation, predicts the structural properties of target subsequences, predicts splice site masking, detects off-target effects, and computes thermodynamic hybridization parameters, taking into account some of the most common RNA modifications. ASOG is designed to enable users to quickly navigate the ASO space, assisting them in making informed decisions. The ASOG webserver is available at asog.iecb.u-bordeaux.fr.