Current Organic Chemistry - Volume 13, Issue 11, 2009

This thematic issue of bioorganic chemistry is largely focused on chemistry of oligonucleotides. Four extensive reviews highlighting various aspects of oligonucleotide chemistry are included. While these articles provide specialists with useful compilations of recent literature, they at the same time should be of considerable general interest, owing to the increasing number of new biological roles discovered for nucleic acids, in p Read More

This review outlines the design and synthesis of oligonucleotides bearing 2'-modified residues at predetermined positions within the strand. The relative merits of incorporation of reactive carboxyl, carbonyl, iodoacetamide and disulfide-containing groups into oligonucleotides were considered along with solid-phase synthesis of DNA 2'- conjugates. The specific cross-linking of 2'-substituted oligonucleotides to nucleic acid-bindin Read More

Multivalent systems are well known for their enhanced ability to bind multivalent counterparts. This contribution addresses the question whether they can also behave as cooperative catalysts. Analyzing examples mostly (but not only) from our own laboratory we show what conditions are required for obtaining cooperativity in catalysis. Systems considered range from simple, discrete catalysts to dendrimers and monolayer Read More

The growing field of DNA technology requires new modified DNAs that can perform advanced functions. No matter how we optimize the length and sequence of DNA using only the four naturally occurring nucleotides, potential performance is limited. In this review, we describe a facile and effective method of rationally designing new functional DNA by focusing on acyclic scaffolds, especially threoninols, which are utilized to Read More

The synthesis, chemical, physical, biological, spectroscopic and miscellaneous analytical properties of Nalkylguanine derivatives substituted at 1-, 1,N²-, N2-, 3-, 3,N2-, 7-, 7,9- and 9-positions have been surveyed, mainly from the 2003-2009 period. Beyond the synthetic methods, particular emphasis has been given to products of mutagenesis and carcinogenesis, the role of modified fluorescent guanosines (wyosine, wyebut Read More