NMR studies of DNA duplexes containing alpha-anomeric nucleotides and polarity reversals

We present a summary of our research to date on a family of self-complement ary DNA decamers containing single alpha-anomeric nucleotides flanked by 3' -3' and 5'-5' phosphodiester linkages from the perspective of the salient N MR techniques employed to shed light on the structural and dynamic properti es of these sequences. Research into this class of synthetic alpha-/beta-ol igonucleotides containing mixed strand disposition may have medical relevan ce given their recently documented efficacy as antisense therapeutics.