SYNTHESIS OF PARTIALLY-DEUTERATED 2'-DEOXYRIBONUCLEOSIDE BLOCKS AND THEIR INCORPORATION INTO AN OLIGO-DNA FOR SIMPLIFICATION OF OVERCROWDING AND SELECTIVE ENHANCEMENT OF RESOLUTION AND SENSITIVITY IN THE H-1-NMR SPECTRA

The chemical synthesis of appropriately protected partially-deuterated 2'((R) under bar/(S) under bar), 3',5'((R) under bar/(S) under bar)-H -2(3)-2'-deoxyribonucleoside blocks [similar to 43 atom % H-2 at C5'(( R) under bar), similar to 57 atom % H-2 at C5'((S) under bar); similar to 15 atom % H-2 at C2'((R) under bar, similar to 85 atom % H-2 at C2 '((S) under bar) and >99 atom % H-2 at C3'] is reported. The availabil ity of these deuterium labelled blocks on large scale has enabled the chemical assemblage of the deuterio isotopomeric 12 mer [d((C) double under bar(1)(G) double under bar(2)(C) double under bar(3)(G) double u nder bar(4)(A) double under bar(5)(A) double under bar(6)(T) double un der bar(7)(T) double under bar(8)(C) double under bar(9)(G) double und er bar(10)(C) double under bar(11)(G) double under bar(12))](2) DNA du plex by standard solid-phase synthesis protocol in order to demonstrat e the usefulness of the new ''NMR-window III'' approach (see the follo wing paper). (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.