Backbone modifications of aromatic peptide nucleic acid (APNA ) monomers and their hybridization properties with DNA and RNA.

Aromatic peptide nucleic acid (APNA) monomers containing N-(2-aminobenzyl)-glycine, N-(2-aminobenzyl)-(R)- or -(S)-alanine, and N-(2-aminobenzyl)-beta-alanine moieties as part of their backbone were synthesized. These novel analogues were incorporated as a single "point mutation" in PNA hexamers, and their physicochemical properties were investigated by UV thermal denaturation and CD experiments. Destabilization in triplex formation between the PNA-APNA chimeras and complementary DNA or RNA oligomers was observed, as compared to the PNA control. The APNA monomer composed of the N-(2-aminobenzyl)-glycine backbone led to the smallest decrease in the thermal stability of the triplexes formed with DNA and RNA, while maintaining selectivity for base-pairing recognition. Since the PNA-APNA chimeras are more lipophilic than the corresponding PNA homopolymers, these oligomers may also exhibit better cell membrane permeability properties.