Stabilisation of a nucleic acid three-way junction by an oligonucleotide containing a single 2'-C to 3'-O-phosphate butylene linkage prepared by a tandem RCM-hydrogenation method.

A cyclic dinucleotide with a butylene linker between the upper 2'-C position and the 3'-O-phosphate linkage was synthesised from simple nucleoside building blocks via a tandem ring-closing metathesis and hydrogenation procedure. The major of two phosphorus epimers was incorporated into an oligodeoxynucleotide, as well as into an LNA-DNA mixmer oligonucleotide. These were evaluated as parts in three different secondary structures, a duplex, a bulged duplex and a three-way junction, with both DNA and RNA complements. In the DNA:RNA hybrid molecule, the oligodeoxynucleotide containing this single 2'-C to 3'-O-phosphate butylene linkage was found to stabilise a three-way junction.