Synthesis and physical characterization of DNA fragments containing N4-methylcytosine and 5-methylcytosine. |
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| Authors: | V Butkus S Klimasauskas L Petrauskiene Z Maneliene A Janulaitis L E Minchenkova A K Schyolkina |
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| Affiliation: | ESP Fermentas, All Union Research Institute of Applied Enzymology, Vilnius Lithuanian SSR. |
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| Abstract: | The synthesis of N4-methyl-2'-deoxycytidine and its fully protected mononucleotide, suitable for the oligonucleotide synthesis by phosphotriester method is described. A set of octanucleotides - d(CGCGCGCG), d(CG5mCGCGCG), d(CG4mCGCGCG) and dodecanucleotides - d(GGACCCGGGTCC), d(GGA5mCCCGGGTCC), d(GGA4mCCCGGGTCC) has been synthesized in a solution. Physical characterization of the oligonucleotide duplexes by means of UV and CD spectrometry provides the evidence that 4mC similarly to 5mC favours the B--greater than Z transition, although both of these methylated cytosines inhibit the B--greater than A conformational change. N4-Methylcytosine in contrast to 5-methylcytosine reduces the DNA double helix thermal stability. |
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