摘要:
A linker containing a terephthalamide group, -P(O)(O-)O(CH2)6NHC(O)C6H4C(O)NH(CH2)6OP(O)(O-)-, is shown to be an effective structural element for organizing oligonucleotide chains in solution. Capping a pair of complementary oligonucleotides with this linker leads to marked enhancement in stability of the Watson-Crick duplex structure. Joining a pair of thymidylate oligomers with this linker gives a compound exhibiting unusually high affinity for oligo(dA) strands; even a tetramer unit can be recognized in dilute solution. Presumably Hoogsteen as well as Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding stabilizes a bimolecular 'triplex". Both types of linkage (i.e., joining two complementary strands and joining two pyrimidine strands) are embodied in the novel compound, d(TTTTTT-X-TTTTTT-X-AAAAAA), and function jointly in stabilizing a doubly folded monomolecular triple stranded structure (T(m) 58-degrees-C, 1 M NaCl; -X- represents the terephthalamide linker group).