SYNTHESIS AND BINDING-PROPERTIES OF OLIGODEOXYNUCLEOTIDES CONTAINING PHENYLPHOSPHON(OTHIO)ATE LINKAGES

A method for the synthesis of chimeric oligodeoxynucleotides comprised of phosphodiester and phenylphosphonate [3'-O-P(=O)(C6H5)-O-5'] or ph enylphosphono-thioate [3'-O-P(=S)(C6H5)-O-5'] linkages has been develo ped. Synthesis was performed using suitably protected nucleoside pheny lphosphonamidites as building blocks following an adjusted solid-phase phosphoramidite synthesis protocol. The new oligodeoxy-nucleotide ana logues were characterized by electrospray ionization-and matrix-assist ed laser desorption mass spectrometry, as well as by P-31 NMR spectros copy. Additionally, their binding properties to complementary oligodeo xynucleotides has been studied. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.