Application of 2-amino-6-vinylpurine as an efficient agent for conjugation of oligonucleotides

Attempts have been made to conjugate a variety of molecules with oligonucleotides to achieve useful functions. In this study, we have established a new efficient method for post-synthetic conjugation of oligonucleotides with the use of the 2-amino-6-vinylpurine nucleoside. Amino nucleophiles form the corresponding conjugates under acidic conditions, whereas thiol nucleophiles reacted efficiently under alkaline conditions. Thus, glutathione and HS-Cys-(Arg)8 without protecting groups were efficiently conjugated to the 2-amino-6-vinylpurine-bearing ODN under alkaline conditions. The use of 2-amino-6-vinylpurine as an agent for conjugation is advantageous in that it is stable during the reaction and may be applied to conjugation of ODNs with multiple functional molecules.