Triple-helical polynucleotides. Mixed triplexes of the poly(uridylic acid)-poly(adenylic acid)-poly(uridylic acid) class.

By the techniques of interferon induction in primary rabbit kidney cells "superinduced" with metabolic inhibitors, ultraviolet absorbance-temperature profiles, sensitivity to pancreatic ribonuclease A, and sucrose velocity gradient ultracentrifugation, a number of reactions between double-helical RNA and single-stranded RNA or DNA homopolymers were investigated. The polymers involved in these studies were poly(adenylic acid), poly(uridylic acid), poly(ribothymidylic acid), poly(5-bromouridylic acid), poly(deoxythymidylic acid), poly(deoxyuridylic acid), poly(3-methyluridylic acid), poly(2'-O-methyluridylic acid), and poly(2'-azido-2'-deoxyuridylic acid). Two different reaction courses, both leading to the formation of triple helices, were noted: (1) poly(Ux)-poly(A) + poly(Uy) leads to poly(Ux)-poly(A)-poly(Uy) if the Tm of poly(Ux)-poly(A) was higher than the Tm of poly(Uy)-poly(A); (2) poly(Ux)-poly(A) + poly(Uy) leads to poly(Uy)-poly(A)-poly(Ux) if the Tm of poly(Ux)-poly(A) was lower than the Tm of poly(Uy)-poly(A). In these equations, the homopolymer written to the left of poly(A) implies Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding whereas the polymer to the right of poly(A) is involved in Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding.