Synthesis and properties of ApA analogues with shortened phosphonate internucleotide linkage

A complete series of the 2 '-5 ' and 3 '-5 ' regioisomeric types of r(ApA) and 2 '-d(ApA) analogues with the α-hydroxy-phosphonate C3 '-O-P-CH(OH)-C4 ″ internucleotide linkage, isopolar but non-isosteric with the phosphodiester one, were synthesized and their hybridization properties with polyU studied. Due to the chirality on the 5 '-carbon atom of the modified internucleotide linkage bearing phosphorus and hydroxy moieties, each regioisomeric type of ApA dimer is split into epimeric pairs. To examine the role of the 5 '-hydroxyl of the α-hydroxy-phosphonate moiety during hybridization, the appropriate r(ApA) analogues with 3 '(2 ')-O-P-CH(2)-C4 ″ linkage lacking the 5 '-hydroxyl were synthesized. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy study on the conformation of the modified sugar-phosphate backbone, along with the hybridization measurements, revealed remarkable differences in the stability of complexes with polyU, depending on the 5 '-carbon atom configuration. Potential usefulness of the α-hydroxy-phosphonate linkage in modified oligoribonucleotides is discussed.     

Cooperative elution of oligoadenylic acid in polyU immobilized chromatography.

Characterization of polyU immobilized chromatography was performed in order to use this technique as an analytical device. A method of analysis of the elution profile related to thermodynamic parameters was also developed. Sites of attachment of polyU to agarose gel activated by cyanogen bromide were studied using uridine diphosphate and adenine. Independent equilibrium dialysis of ApA for different states of polyU, in solution and immobilized in gel, were carried out. These results show that the immobilized polyU is attached to agarose only at the 5′-terminal phosphate groups and behaves as it does in solution. Column chromatography of ApA with the immobilized polyU was performed at several temperatures and concentrations. To analyze the elution profile, the theory of cooperative binding of oligonucleotides to polynucleotides was extended to the frame-work of plate theory. A computer simulation for the elution profiles was performed using thermodynamic parameters obtained by equilibrium dialysis. This simulation duplicated the experimental results. This fact shows that the peculiar leading form of elution profile is due to the cooperative binding. The thermodynamic parameters of the polyU–ApA system were obtained from the “peak trajectory.”     

Oligo(2′-<Emphasis Type="Italic">O</Emphasis>-methylribonucleotides) and their derivatives: III. 5′-Mono- and 5′-bispyrenyl derivatives of oligo(2′-<Emphasis Type="Italic">O</Emphasis>-methylribonucleotides) and their 3′-modified analogues: Synthesis and properties

5′-Pyrenylmethylphosphamide and 5′-bispyrenylmethylphosphordiamide derivatives of oligo(2′-O-methylribonucleotides) and their analogues with thymidine attached at their 3′-termini by a 3′-3′-phosphodiester internucleotide bond (“inverted” thymidine) were synthesized. The effect of the pyrene residue(s) on the thermal stability of duplexes of the modified oligonucleotides with RNA and DNA was studied. A possibility of detection of hybridization of 5′-mono- and 5′-bispyrenyl derivatives with RNA and DNA targets in solution was demonstrated according to the changes in fluorescence. 5′-Pyrenylphosphamide derivatives of oligo(2′-O-methylribonucleotides) and their inverted analogues were shown to be used as sensitive probes for the detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms in RNA and DNA by the method of thermal duplex denaturation with fluorescence change registration.     

Configurational effects on conformational properties of cyclic nucleotides. I. Theoretical calculations of conformer preferences in α-nucleoside 3′,5′ cyclic monophosphates

A comparative study has been made of the configurational effects on the conformational properties of α- and β-anomers of purine and pyrimidine nucleoside 3′,5′,-cyclic monophosphates and their 2′-arabino epimers. Correlation between orientation of the base and the 2′-hydroxyl group have been studied theoretically using the PCILO (Perturbative Configuration Interaction using Localized Orbitals) method. The effect of change in ribose puckering on the base-hydroxyl interaction has also been studied. The result show that steric repulsions and stabilizing effects of intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the base and the 2′-hydroxyl (OH) group are of major importance in determining configurations of α-anomers and 2′-arabino-β-epimers. For example, hydrogen bonding between the 2′-hydroxyl group and polar centers on the base ring is clearly implicated as a determinant of syn-anti preferences of the purine (adenine) or pyrimidine (uracil) bases in α-nucleoside 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphates. Moreover, barrier heights for interconversion between conformers are sensitive to ribose pucker and 2′-OH orientations. The result clearly show that a change in ribose-ring pucker plays an essential role in relieving repulsive interaction between the base and the 2′-hydroxyl group. Thus a C2′-exo-C3′-endo (₂T³) pucker is favored for α-anomers in contrast with the C4′-exo-C3′-endo (₄T³) from found in β-compounds.     

Formation of 2′-5′ Phosphodiester Linkages in Polyribonucleotides

Unlike technical grade yeast RNA, which was confirmed to contain several per cent of 2′–5′ phosphodiester linkages, RNA prepared from different kinds of commercial yeast in a cold room consisted exclusively of 3′–5′ phosphodiester linkages. Heat treatment of the 3′–5′ linked RNA solution resulted in partial isomerization of the internucleotide linkage of the polynucleotide chain (C₃′-C₅′->C₂′-C₅′). The isomerization of RNA occurred in the presence of water, at high temperature, and under acidic conditions. Treatment of dry RNA at 100°C for 2hr did not result in any detectable isomerization. The isomerization was actually observed in yeast RNA when yeast cells suspended in sodium chloride solution were heated. It is concluded therefore that 2′-5′ phosphodiester linkages found in technical grade RNA had been formed neither at a step of precipitating RNA with acid nor at a step of drying RNA, but had been formed at a step of heat extraction of RNA from yeast. When 0.1 % poly (A) solution, pH 4.8, was heated for 20 hr in a boiling water bath, the isomerization proceeded during the first 6hr, and finally reached about 37%, irrespective of chain length.     

Nucleoside Azide–Alkyne Cycloaddition Reactions Under Solvothermal Conditions or Using Copper Vials in a Ball Mill

Novel nucleoside analogues containing photoswitchable moieties were prepared using ‘click’ cycloaddition reactions between 5′-azido-5′-deoxythymidine and mono- or bis-N-propargylamide-substituted azobenzenes. In solution, high to quantitative yields were achieved using 5 mol% Cu(I) in the presence of a stabilizing ligand. ‘Click’ reactions using the monopropargylamides were also effected in the absence of added cuprous salts by the application of liquid assisted grinding (LAG) in metallic copper reaction vials. Specifically, high speed vibration ball milling (HSVBM) using a 3/32^″ (2.38 mm) diameter copper ball (62 mg) at 60 Hz overnight in the presence of ethyl acetate lead to complete consumption of the 5′-azido nucleoside with clean conversion to the corresponding 1,3-triazole.     

Molecular Structure of the Core-Modified siRNA Duplexes Containing Diastereomeric Pair of [C6′(R)-OH]- versus [C6′(S)-OH]-carba-LNAs Suggests a Model for RNAi Action

Molecular structures of native and a pair of modified small interfering RNA–RNA duplexes containing carbocyclic [6 ′-(R)-OH/7 ′-(S)-methyl]- and [6 ′-(S)-OH/7 ′-(S)-methyl]-carba-LNA-thymine nucleotides, which are two diastereomeric analogs of the native T nucleotide, incorporated at position 13 in the antisense (AS) strand of siRNA, have been simulated using molecular mechanics/dynamics techniques. The main aim of the project has been to find a plausible structural explanation of why modification of siRNA at T¹³ position by the [6 ′(R)-O-(p-Toluoyl)-7 ′(S)-methyl]-carba-LNA-Thymine [IC₅₀ of 3.32 ± 0.17 nM] is ca 24 times more active as an RNA silencing agent against the target HIV-1 TAR RNA than the [6 ′(S)-O-(p-Toluoyl)-7 ′(S)-methyl]-counterpart [IC₅₀ of 79.8 ± 17 nM] [1]. The simulations reveal that introduction of both C6 ′(R)-OH and C6 ′(S)-OH stereoisomers does not lead even to local perturbation of the siRNA–RNA duplex structures compared to the native, and the only significant difference between 6 ′(S)- and 6 ′(R)-diastereomers found is the exposure of the 6 ′-OH group of the 6 ′(R)-diastereoisomer toward the edge of the duplex while the 6 ′-hydroxyl group of the 6 ′(S)-diastereoisomer is somewhat buried in the minor groove of the duplex. This rules out a hypothesis about any possible local distortion by the nature of chemical modification of the siRNA-target the RNA duplex, which might have influenced the formation of the effective RNA silencing complex (RISC) and puts some weight on the hypothesis about the 6 ′-hydroxy group being directly involved with most probably Ago protein, since it is known from exhaustive X-ray studies [2, 3] that the core residues are indeed involved with hydrogen bonding with the internucleotidyl phosphates. Further systematic investigation is in progress to map the position-dependent functional and nonfunctional interactions of the modified [6 ′(R or S)-O-(p-Toluoyl)-7 ′(S)-methyl]-carba-LNA-T with the Ago2 protein of the RISC.     

Stereocontrolled Facile Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of (3′S) and (3′R)-3′-Amino (and Azido)-3′-Deoxy Pyranonucleosides

This article describes the synthesis of (3 ′S) and (3 ′R)-3 ′-amino-3 ′-deoxy pyranonucleosides and their precursors (3 ′S) and (3 ′R)-3 ′-azido-3 ′-deoxy pyranonucleosides. Azidation of 1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-3-O-toluenesulfonyl-α-D-allofuranose followed by hydrolysis and subsequent acetylation afforded 3-azido-3-deoxy-1,2,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-D-glucopyranose, which upon coupling with the proper silylated bases, deacetylation, and catalytic hydrogenation, obtained the target 3 ′-amino-3 ′-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranonucleosides. The desired 1-(3 ′-amino-3 ′-deoxy-β-D-allopyranosyl)5-fluorouracil was readily prepared from the suitable imidazylate sugar after azidation followed by a protection/deprotection sequence and reduction of the unprotected azido precursor. No antiviral activity was observed for the novel nucleosides. Moderate cytostatic activity was recorded for the 5-fluorouracil derivatives.     

The Stability of Trisubstituted Internucleotide Bond in the Presence of the Vicinal 2′-Hydroxyl. Chemical Synthesis of Uridyl(2′-phosphate)-(3′-5′)-uridine

Abstract

The effect of eleven different phosphoryl center protecting groups on the stability of trisubstituted internucleotide bond of the dimers (1a-k), in the presence of the vicinal 2′-hydroxyl, was examined. It has been found that electronic properties of the phosphoryl center protecting groups are essential for the reactivity of the trisubstituted internucleotide bond. Those observations were applied to the chemical synthesis of the uridyl(2′-phosphate)-(3′-5′)-uridine, a useful model for further pre-tRNA splicing studies.     

Synthesis and Biological Activity of 3′-Modified 2′-5′ Adenylate Trimers

Abstract

One of the most important mediators in the mode of action of interferon is the (2′-5′)(A)n synthetase-RNase L pathway. The 2′-5′oligoadenylates (2–5A), synthesized from ATP, activate a pre-existing endonuclease that cleaves single-stranded RNA. The biological activity of 2–5A is rapidly lost due to cleavage of the 2′-5′ internucleotide bond by a specific 2′-5′-phosphodiesterase starting at the 3′end. This rapid cleavage and the poor uptake of 2–5A in intact cells limit the use of 2–5A as an antiviral or antineoplastic agent. Although several modified 2–5A analogues have been synthesized in order to improve the enzymatic stability, only few have proven to be resistant to degradation and still able to activate the 2–5A dependent endonuclease. 1-4 On the other hand, relative drastic methodology such as calcium coprecipitation, microinjection and liposome encapsulation5 has been used to introduce 2–5A into intact cells. Here, we present the synthesis and biological activity of oligoadenylates in which one or more adenosine residues were replaced by 9-(3-azido-3-deoxy-6-D-xylofuranosyl)adenine or 9-(3-amino-3-deoxy-D-xylofuranosyl)adenine. The oligonucleotides were synthesized by the phosphotriester method with triisopropylbenzenesulfonyl-chloride in the presence of N-methylimidazole as the condensing agent. The p-nitrophenylethyl group was used as the protecting group for the 2′-hydroxylfunction .(carbonate), the internucleotide linkage (phosphate ester) and the exocyclic amino groups of the heterocyclic base (carbamate). Bis(p-nitrophenylethy1)phosphoromonochloridate was used to phosphorylate the 5′-hy-droxyl group. All these blocking groups were removed with DBU in pyridine.     

-CH2- lengthening of the internucleotide linkage in the ApA dimer can improve its conformational compatibility with its natural polynucleotide counterpart

The complete family of ApA phosphonate analogues with the internucleotide linkage elongated by insertion of a -CH₂- group was prepared and the hybridisation and structural properties of its members in interaction with polyuridylic acid were investigated using an original 2D Raman approach. Except for the conformationally restricted A^CHpA(2′3′endo-5′) modification, all of the isopolar, non-isosteric analogues form triplex-like complexes with poly(rU) at room temperature, in which two polymer strands are bound by Watson–Crick and Hoogsteen bonds to a central pseudostrand consisting of a ‘chain’ of A-dimers. For all of these dimers, the overall conformation of the triplexes was found to be similar according to their extracted Raman spectra. A simple semi-empirical model was introduced to explain the observed dependency of the efficiency of triplex formation on the adenine concentration. Apparently, for most of the modifications studied, the creation of a stable complex at room temperature requires the formation of a central pseudostrand, consisting of several adenine dimers. Molecular dynamics calculations were finally performed to interpret the differences in ‘cooperative’ behaviour between the different dimers studied. The results indicate that the exceptional properties of the Ap^CH2A(3′-5′) dimer could be caused by the 3D conformational compatibility of this modified linkage with the second (Hoogsteen) poly(rU) strand.     

Versatile Solid Supports for Oligonucleotide Synthesis that Incorporate Urea Bridge

The universal solid support, USIII, representing a new and improved version of commercial USII, as well as 2 ′-deoxynucleoside and 2 ′-deoxy-2 ′-fluoronucleoside bound supports, incorporating a labile phenoxyacetyl fragment, was synthesized by an aminomethyl polystyrene carbamoylation with corresponding azides in the presence of aqueous triethylammonium bicarbonate. All three solid phases incorporate a stable urea tether, thus bridging the polymer and functional linker. These new matrices proved to be potent solid phases for the synthesis of DNA, RNA, or modified oligonucleotides as well as randomized mixed 2 ′-ribo/2 ′-deoxy-2 ′-fluoro-RNA libraries and/or DNA libraries, randomized with trinucleotides (codons).     

An Improved Protection-Free One-Pot Chemical Synthesis of 2′-Deoxynucleoside-5′-Triphosphates

A facile, straightforward, reliable, and an efficient method for the gram-scale chemical synthesis of both purine deoxynucleotides such as 2 ′-deoxyguanosine-5 ′-triphosphate (dGTP) and 2 ′-deoxyadenosine-5 ′-triphosphate (dATP) and pyrimidine deoxynucleotides such as 2 ′-deoxycytidine-5 ′-triphosphate (dCTP), thymidine-5 ′-triphosphate (TTP), and 2 ′-deoxyuridine-5 ′-triphosphate (dUTP) starting from the corresponding nucleoside is described. This improved “one-pot, three step” Ludwig synthetic strategy involves the monophosphorylation of nucleoside followed by reaction with tributylammonium pyrophosphate and hydrolysis of the resulting cyclic intermediate to provide the corresponding dNTP in good yields (65%–70%).     

Enzymatic and NMR analysis of oligoribonucleotides synthesized with 2''-tert-butyldimethylsilyl protected cyanoethylphosphoramidite monomers.

The regioisomeric integrity of the internucleotide phosphate linkage in synthetic RNA using 2'-tert-butyldimethylsilyl protection was examined using enzymatic and NMR techniques. Two sets of DNA-RNA hybrid nonamers, T3XT5 and T5XT3 (where X = rA, rC, rG and U) and the tetramer AGCU were analyzed. Enzyme catalyzed hydrolysis of the nonamers with ribonuclease T2 showed that the linkage at the ribonucleotide was the desired 3'-5'. A control nonamer with a 2'-5' linkage was subjected to the enzyme, and showed no cleavage. High-resolution proton NMR of the tetramer also gave a favorable comparison with the same molecule obtained by non-chemical means.     

Stacking interactions of ApA analogues with modified backbones

CD spectra have been measured as a function of temperature for a number of ApA analogues with modified backbones. Oligonucleotides with these modified backbones are being used as antisense agents having potential as viral therapeutics. Results of these studies show that when a carbonyl is substituted for the phosphate to produce an uncharged backbone, the analogues that have either sugar or morpholino substitution do not stack. In contrast, when a morpholino group is substituted for the sugar and the phosphate is modified so as to be uncharged, there is strong base stacking. Stacking interactions in the phosphorus-linked morpholino analogues are at least as strong as those found in d (ApA). The stacking interactions in ApA are weak by comparison. Singular value decomposition demonstrates that the stacking is two state, and Taylor series decomposition yields a coefficient that measures base stacking interactions. The van't Hoff equation is applied to the base stacking coefficient from the Taylor series fitting to give thermodynamic parameters. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Oligonucleotide analogues containing internucleotide C3′-CH<Subscript>2</Subscript>-C(O)-NH-C5′ bonds

A dinucleoside bearing an amide internucleotide C3′-CH₂-C(O)-NH-C5′ bond was synthesized by the interaction of 3′-deoxy-3′-carboxylmethylribothymidine-2′,3′-lactone obtained by hydrolysis of 2′-O-acetyl-5′-O-benzoyl-3′-deoxy-3′-ethoxycarboxylmethylribothymidine with 5′-deoxy-5′-amino-3′-O-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)thymidine. After standard manipulations with protective groups, the dinucleoside was converted into 3′-O-(2-cyanoethyl-N,N′-diisopropylphosphoroamidite), which was used for the synthesis of modified oligonucleotides on an automatic synthesizer. Duplex melting curves formed by modified and complementary natural oligonucleotides were measured and the melting temperatures and thermodynamic parameters of duplex formation were calculated. The introduction of one modified bond into oligonucleotides caused only an insignificant decrease in the duplex melting temperatures compared with the nonmodified ones.     

Halogenated nucleic acids: effects of 5-fluorouracil on the conformation and properties of a polyribonucleotide and its constituents

The conformational properties of 5-fluorouracil derivatives are compared to uracil derivatives. FUrd, 5′-FUMP, and poly(FU) are studied as a function of pH and temperature by ¹⁹F- and ¹H-nmr spectroscopy, and the corresponding uracil derivatives by ¹H-nmr spectroscopy. FUrd exhibits no significant conformational changes with solution pH (5–10). In contrast, at low pH (6–7) 5′-FUMP and 5′-UMP show similar conformational features, while at high pH (9) 5′-FUMP shows significant conformational alterations. Also, poly(U) and poly(FU) are conformationally similar at low pH, but increasing pH induces changes in poly(FU). These changes are observed in the backbone [γ(C4′-C5′)], furanose, and furanose-base conformations. The apparent pK_a of N3-H ionization of the FUra base is determined by ¹H- and ¹⁹F-nmr to range from 7.5 to 8.2 [FUrd < 5′-FUMP < 5′-FUDP < poly(FU)]. These observations are interpreted as a result of electrostatic interactions generated between the ionized phosphate group and the negatively charged base moiety as the pH is raised. The interaction properties of poly(FU) with ApA are studied by ¹H- and ¹⁹F-nmr spectroscopy, and these properties compared to those published for poly(U). Poly(FU) forms a complex with ApA inducing upfield ¹H-shifts in both components, and downfield ¹⁹F- shifts in poly(FU). The base stoichiometry of the complex for poly(U)·ApA is 2U:1A at various U/A ratios. In contrast, the base stoichiometry of the poly(FU)·ApA complex appears to be dependent on the FU/A ratio. At high FU/A ratio, the complex is 2FU:1A, and as the FU/A ratio approaches unity the complex becomes 1FU:1A.     

Oligonucleotides containing a peptide internucleotide linkage. A novel class of modified oligonucleotides

Oligonucleotide analogues containing one or a few glycine, L-, and D-alanine residues instead of phosphodiester internucleotide linkages were synthesized (C3′-NH-C(O)-CH(X)-NH-C(O)-C4′, where X = H, (S)-CH₃, and (R)-CH₃. The stability of the duplexes of modified oligonucleotides with their wild-type complements was studied. The incorporation of glycine and L-alanine residues into internucleotide linkages was shown to noticeably decrease the stability of modified duplexes as compared to that of native ones (ΔT _m∼−2°C per modification), whereas analogues containing D-alanine linkers form duplexes with increased stability (ΔT _m∼+2°C per modification).     

Conformational evaluation of labeled C3′‐O‐P‐13CH2‐O‐C4″ phosphonate internucleotide linkage,a phosphodiester isostere

Modified internucleotide linkage featuring the C3′‐O‐P‐CH₂‐O‐C4″ phosphonate grouping as an isosteric alternative to the phosphodiester C3′‐O‐P‐O‐CH₂‐C4″ bond was studied in order to learn more on its stereochemical arrangement, which we showed earlier to be of prime importance for the properties of the respective oligonucleotide analogues. Two approaches were pursued: First, the attempt to prepare the model dinucleoside phosphonate with ¹³C‐labeled CH₂ group present in the modified internucleotide linkage that would allow for a more detailed evaluation of the linkage conformation by NMR spectroscopy. Second, the use of ab initio calculations along with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in order to observe the most populated conformations and specify main structural elements governing the conformational preferences. To deal with the former aim, a novel synthesis of key labeled reagent (CH₃O)₂P(O)¹³CH₂OH for dimer preparation had to be elaborated using aqueous ¹³C‐formaldehyde. The results from both approaches were compared and found consistent. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 91: 514–529, 2009. This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “Published Online” date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com     

Enzymatic and Hybridization Properties of Oligonucleotide Analogues Containing Novel Phosphotriester Internucleotide Linkage

Abstract

Enhanced cellular uptake, stable and discriminating hybridization and increased stability in biological media are of particular interest for oligonucleotides of potential therapeutic application. Additionally, toxicity or immunogenicity of the oligonucleotide analogues and their biodegradation products should be minimized by minimal alteration of the biological structure and effort and cost of bulk production should be as low as possible by using a standard automated synthesis protocol. Oligonucleotide phosphotriesters with oligoethyleneglycol substituents show promise to ideally combine all these advantages. Here we describe the hybridization properties and the stability of modified oligonucleotides containing triester internucleotide linkages substituted with α,ω-dihydroxy-(3,6-dioxa)-octan-1-yl group (“triethyleneglycol triester linkages”) towards enzymatic degradation. The triester linkages are stable towards exo- and endonucleases. Regardless of number and position of triester linkages, the modified oligonucleotides showed practically no decrease of T_m in hybridization studies with complementary biological oligonucleotides. In further enzymatic studies the modified oligonucleotides were highly stable towards nucleases in human blood serum.