Design, synthesis, and properties of 2′,4′-BNANC: A bridged nucleic acid analogue

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja710342q

The novel bridged nucleic-acid analogue 2′,4′-BNA^NC (2′-O,4′-C-aminomethylene bridged nucleic acid), containing a six-membered bridged structure with an N-O linkage, was designed and synthesized efficiently, demonstrating a one-pot intramolecul

Full text of DOI:10.1021/ja710342q

Published on Web 03/15/2008
Design, Synthesis, and Properties of 2′,4′-BNANC: A Bridged
Nucleic Acid Analogue
S. M. Abdur Rahman,†,§ Sayori Seki,† Satoshi Obika,†,‡ Haruhisa Yoshikawa,†
Kazuyuki Miyashita,† and Takeshi Imanishi*,†
Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka UniVersity, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka
565-0871, Japan, and PRESTO, JST, Sanbancho Building, 5-Sanbancho, Chiyodaku,
Tokyo 102-0075, Japan
Received November 22, 2007; E-mail: imanishi@phs.osaka-u.ac.jp
Abstract: The novel bridged nucleic-acid analogue 2′,4′-BNANC (2′-O,4′-C-aminomethylene bridged nucleic
acid), containing a six-membered bridged structure with an N-O linkage, was designed and synthesized
efficiently, demonstrating a one-pot intramolecular NC bond-forming key reaction to construct a perhydro-
1,2-oxazine ring (11 and 12). Three monomers of 2′,4′-BNANC (2′,4′-BNANC[NH], [NMe], and [NBn]) were
synthesized and incorporated into oligonucleotides, and their properties were investigated and compared
with those of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-modified oligonucleotides. Compared to 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-modified oligo-
nucleotides, 2′,4′-BNANC congeners were found to possess: (i) equal or higher binding affinity against an
RNA complement with excellent single-mismatch discriminating power, (ii) much better RNA selective
binding, (iii) stronger and more sequence selective triplex-forming characters, and (iv) immensely higher
nuclease resistance, even higher than the Sp-phosphorthioate analogue. 2′,4′-BNANC-modified oligonucle-
otides with these excellent profiles show great promise for applications in antisense and antigene
technologies.
Introduction
Despite the large number of chemically modified oligonucle-
otides developed over the last few decades,4,13,14 the search for
new molecules continues because most oligonucleotides devel-
oped to date have failed to give the desired response. A dramatic
improvement in this area was achieved by including bridged
nucleic acids (BNAs)15 (often represented as locked nucleic
acids16,17), in which the sugar conformation of the nucleotide-
(s) is locked by bridging. Among the structural analogues and
configurational isomers of BNA developed to date,15,17-31
Recently, the regulation of gene expression by chemically
modified nucleic acids has attracted a great deal of attention
from both chemists and biologists, and the use of chemically
modified oligonucleotides in various gene silencing technologies
such as antisense,1 antigene,2 and RNA interference3 is growing
steadily.2,4,5 The first antisense drug, phosphorothioate (PS)
oligonucleotide Vitravene (ISIS-2922), was approved by the
FDA and appeared on the market in 1998 for the treatment of
cytomegalovirus-induced retinitis;6,7 currently phase III clinical
trails are being conducted with several nucleic-acid analogues.8
Apart from their use in therapy, modified oligonucleotides are
also increasingly utilized in nucleic-acid nanotechnology,9,10
oligonucleotide-based diagnostics,11 gene-function determina-
tion, and drug-target validation.12
(13) Freier, S. M.; Altmann, K-H. Nucleic Acids Res. 1997, 25, 4429.
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K.; Wengel, J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1998, 120, 13252.
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Tetrahedron Lett. 1997, 38, 8735.
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T. Tetrahedron Lett. 1998, 39, 5401.
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455.
† Osaka University.
‡ PRESTO, JST.
§ On leave from Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Dhaka.
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4886
J. AM. CHEM. SOC. 2008, 130, 4886-4896
10.1021/ja710342q CCC: $40.75 © 2008 American Chemical Society

Design, Synthesis, and Properties of 2
′
,4′
-BNANC
A R T I C L E S
In spite of these drawbacks, 2′,4′-BNA (LNA) remains the
most promising bridged nucleic-acid derivative to date, although
several similar modifications such as ENA (NA-2),46,50 Aza-
ENA (NA-3),31 and NA-451 have been reported. We recently
reported another BNA modification, 2′,4′-BNACOC (NA-5),
which dramatically improved nuclease resistance at the expense
of decreased hybridizing ability.52 Our continued efforts to
engineer the BNA structure has resulted in the development of
a novel BNA analogue, 2′,4′-BNANC (NA-6), which is more
potent than 2′,4′-BNA (LNA).53 Three structural analogues of
2′,4′-BNANC, namely, 2′,4′-BNANC[NH], [NMe], and [NBn],
have been synthesized, and their biophysical properties and
nuclease resistance were investigated. We recently communi-
cated preliminary results regarding highly stable triplex forma-
tion by 2′,4′-BNANC[NH]53 and RNA-selective hybridization
with the 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] analogue.54 Herein, we report full
details regarding the development of all of the 2′,4′-BNANC
analogues and compare their overall properties with those of
2′,4′-BNA (LNA).
Figure 1. Structures of 2′,4′-linkage bridged nucleic acids.
2′-O,4′-C-methylene bridged nucleic acid (2′,4′-BNA,18,19 also
called LNA16,17,20), (NA-1, Figure 1), independently developed
by Wengel et al. and us, has become extremely useful in nucleic-
acid-based technologies.32-43 The utility of this compound is
due to its unprecedented hybridizing affinity for complementary
strands (RNA and DNA), its sequence selectivity, its aqueous
solubility, and its improved biostability compared to that of
natural oligonucleotides. Because of its utility, 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)
is now commercially available, and 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-modified
antisense oligonucleotides are entering human clinical trials.44,45
Although genomics investigations using this molecule are
vigorously expanding in a wide range of molecular biological
technologies, it is clear that there is need for further development
because: (i) the nuclease resistance of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA),
although somewhat better than that of natural DNA, is signifi-
cantly lower than that obtained by the PS oligonucleotide,23,46
(ii) oligonucleotides either with consecutive 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)
units or fully modified by this analogue are very rigid,47,48
resulting in inefficient (or total failure of) triplex formation, and
(iii) a kind of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-modified antisense oligonucle-
otides is shown to be hepatotoxic.49
Results and Discussion
1. Design of 2′,4′-BNANC. As described above, 2′,4′-BNA
(LNA) having a five-membered bridged structure is insuf-
ficiently resistant to nucleases,23,46 and fully modified 2′,4′-BNA
(LNA) oligonucleotides do not have the flexibility required for
efficient triplex formation.47,48 To overcome these problems,
BNA analogues with increased steric bulk and less conforma-
tional restriction were developed. 2′,4′-BNACOC has a seven-
membered bridged structure and exhibits dramatically improved
nuclease resistance.52 However, this modification conversely
affects duplex stability (i.e., duplexes formed with this nucleic-
acid analogue are less stable than those formed by 2′,4′-BNA
(LNA)). On the other hand, ENA, which has a six-membered
bridged structure, has slightly lower duplex-forming ability and
significantly higher nuclease resistance than 2′,4′-BNA (LNA).46,50
Triplex formation with ENA provided variable results compared
to that of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA).53,55 Taking into account the effect
of the length of the bridged moiety, we designed a novel BNA,
2′,4′-BNANC, which has a six-membered bridged structure with
a unique structural feature (N-O bond) in the sugar moiety.
The bridged moiety was designed to have a nitrogen atom,
which has proven importance in DNA chemistry such as: (i)
acting as a conjugation site56 and (ii) improvement of duplex
and triplex stability by lowering repulsions between the
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9
J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 130, NO. 14, 2008 4887

A R T I C L E S
Scheme 1a
Abdur Rahman et al.
Scheme 2 a
a Reaction Conditions: (a) 20% Pd(OH)2-C, cyclohexene, EtOH,
reflux, 22 h; (b) TIPDSCl2, imidazole, DMF, room temperature, 5.5 h; (c)
Tf2O, DMAP, pyridine, room temperature, 7.5 h; (d) N-hydroxyphthalimide,
DBU, MeCN, room temperature, 12 h; (e) H2NNH2, DABCO, pyridine,
40 h.
hand, the crude amine obtained from 3 was initially converted
to the benzyl carbamate derivative 5, which was then treated
with NaH to furnish the desired cyclized product 6. Debenzy-
lation of 6 and its N-Me congener 7 (obtained by reductive
methylation from 6) under various conditions (i. Pd(OH)2-C,
cyclohexene, EtOH; ii. BCl3, CH2Cl2, MeOH;62 iii. DDQ, CH2-
Cl2-H2O63) resulted in the failure to produce the desired
respective monomers, 8 and 9.
On the basis of these negative results, the O-benzyl groups
at the 3′ and 5′ positions of 2 were replaced by the tetraiso-
propyldisiloxy group (10 in Scheme 2). This was achieved by
removing the benzyl groups by catalytic hydrogenolysis over
Pd(OH)2-C and silylating the C5′ and C3′ hydroxyls of the
resultant triol selectively to give 10 in good yield. The
2′-hydroxyl of 10 was converted to a triflate by Tf2O, pyridine,
and DMAP, and subsequently transformed to phthalimide
derivative 11 by the SN2 reaction. Previously, we described the
synthesis of 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] and 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] mono-
mers by deprotecting 11 to give the free amine,53,54,64 cyclization
of which could not be achieved directly to furnish 12, and,
therefore, we had to demonstrate different routes for the
a Reaction Conditions: (a) MsCl, pyridine, room temperature, 1 h; (b)
1M NaOH, EtOH, room temperature, 1 h; (c) Tf2O, DMAP, pyridine, room
temperature, 4 h; (d) N-hydroxyphthalimide, DBU, MeCN, room temper-
ature, 4 h; (e) H2NNH2‚H2O, EtOH, 10 min; (f) 60% NaH, THF, 3 h; (g)
Cbz-Cl, sat. NaHCO3, CH2Cl2, 30 min; (h) 60% NaH, THF, 18 h; (i) PPTS,
MeOH, HCHO, NaBH3CN, 1 h; (j) Pd(OH)2-C, cyclohexene, EtOH, reflux,
33 h; (k) 1M BCl3/hexane, CH2Cl2, -78 °C; (l) 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanob-
ezoquinone (DDQ), CH2Cl2, reflux, 24 h. T ) thymin-1-yl.
conjugation site, the nitrogen atom on the bridge can be
functionalized by hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups, by steric
bulk, or by appropriate functional moieties to: (i) control affinity
toward complementary strands, (ii) regulate resistance against
nuclease degradation, and (iii) allow synthesis of functional
molecules designed for specific applications in genomics. In
addition to the above possibilities, the N-O bond could be
cleaved under appropriate reductive conditions to modulate the
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hybridizing properties of 2′,4′-BNANC
.
2. Synthesis of 2′,4′-BNANC. 2.1. Synthesis of 2′,4′-BNANC
Monomers and Phosphoroamidites. Our initial attempt to
synthesize 2′,4′-BNANC monomers 8 and 9 through di-O-benzyl
intermediate 6 was shown in Scheme 1. Nucleoside derivative
1, synthesized by a modification of reported methods61 (Sup-
porting Information), was converted to a methyl sulfonic acid
derivative, which was treated with an alkali to give alcohol 2
with an inverted stereochemical configuration in excellent yield.
Alcohol 2 was reacted with trifluoromethanesulphonic anhydride
(Tf2O) in the presence of pyridine and dimethylaminopyridine
(DMAP) to afford a triflate, which without purification, was
subjected to SN2 reaction with N-hydroxyphthalimide in the
presence of 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) to afford
3. Reaction of 3 with hydrazine monohydrate in ethanol gave
free amine, the cyclization of which with 60% NaH unexpect-
edly yielded 2′,4′-BNA (LNA) nucleoside 4 exclusively instead
of the desired perhydro-1,2-oxazine ring formation. On the other
(64) Our initial synthetic routes for 2′,4′-BNANC[NH]53 and [NMe]54 analogues
are shown here. Treatment of 11 with hydrazine monohydrate delivered
the aminoxy derivative A, which was transformed to 2′,4′-BNANC[NH]
intermediate B by a one-pot acylation/cyclization method or to benzyl
carbamate derivative C for the synthesis of 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] analogue.
Reaction conditions: (i) H2NNH2‚H2O, EtOH, rt, 15 min; (ii) PhOCH2COCl
(PacCl), Et3N, CH2Cl2, rt, 2 h; (iii) BnOCOCl(CbzCl), sat. NaHCO3 (aq.),
CH2Cl2, 0 °C; (iv) 60% NaH, THF, rt, 5 h; (v) BCl3, CH2Cl2, 0 °C, 1 h.
(61) Koshkin, A. A.; Rajwanshi, V. K.; Wengel, J. Tetrahedron Lett. 1998, 39,
4381.
9
4888 J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 130, NO. 14, 2008

Design, Synthesis, and Properties of 2
′
,4′
-BNANC
A R T I C L E S
Scheme 3a
a Reagents and Conditions: (a) PacCl, Et3N, CH2Cl2, room temperature, 0.5 h (for synthesis of 13)/20% aq. HCHO, NaBH3CN, PPTS, MeOH, 0 °C, 1
h (for 9)/BnBr, Et3N, CH2Cl2, 9 h (for 14); (b) TBAF, THF, room temperature, 5 to 10 min; (c) DMTrCl, pyridine, room temperature, 3.5 to 12 h; (d)
(iPr2N)2PO(CH2)2CN, dicyaniimidazole, MeCN, room temperature, 4 to 7 h; (e) 1,2,4-triazole, Et3N, MeCN, 0 °C to room temperature, 5 to 8 h.
synthesis of 2′,4′-BNANC[NH]53 and [NMe] derivatives.54,64
Whereas the synthesis of 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] intermediate (struc-
ture B in ref 64) was achieved in moderate yield by simultaneous
acylation/cyclization using triethylamine and phenoxyacetyl
chloride (PacCl), the synthesis of 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] required
a longer route via a benzyl carbamate derivative.54,64 Gratify-
ingly, when 11 was treated with hydrazine monohydrate for a
longer time, deprotection and cyclization occurred simulta-
neously to provide the desired 12 in low yield (Supporting
Information). This one-pot reaction was further optimized by
the addition of 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) and
pyridine to give 12 from 11 directly in 78% yield (Scheme 2,
and also see the Supporting Information for the optimized
reaction conditions). It is noteworthy that this one-pot methodol-
ogy greatly simplifies the synthesis of 2′,4′-BNANC, allowing
its preparation on the multigram scale.
The synthesis of 2′,4′-BNANC[NH], [NMe], and [NBn]
monomers and phosphoroamidites is shown in Scheme 3.
For the successful incorporation into oligonucleotides, the 2′,4′-
BNANC[NH] monomer was synthesized with the easily remov-
able phenoxyacetyl (Pac) protecting group (13). Monomer 13
was synthesized in excellent yield from 12 by trapping the
secondary nitrogen with PacCl and removing the silyl groups
with tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF). On the other
hand, methylation of the nitrogen in 12 under reductive
alkylation conditions and the same desilylation procedure
furnished 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] monomer 9 in quantitative yields.
The structure of 9 was confirmed by 1H NMR spectro-
scopy and X-ray crystallography (Figure 2 and Experimental
Section). 2′,4′-BNANC[NBn] monomer 14 was synthesized from
12 via benzylation and desilylation. Because reductive alkylation
and benzylation proceeded smoothly, it was anticipated that a
wide range of N-substitution could be possible. To incorporate
these synthetic 2′,4′-BNANC monomers (13, 9, and 14) into
oligonucleotides, the primary hydroxyls of 13, 9, and 14
were selectively protected with the 4,4′-dimethoxytrityl group
to give the trityl derivatives 15, 16, and 17, respectively, in
very good yields. The remaining secondary hydroxyls were
then phosphitylated with 2-cyanoethyl N,N,N′,N′-tetraisopro-
pylphosphordiamidite to afford the 2′,4′-BNANC[NH]-,
[NMe]-and [NBn]-thymine phosphoroamidites 18, 19, and
20, respectively, each as a mixture of two stereoisomers. A
portion of thymine phosphoroamidites 18 and 19 were con-
verted to the triazole derivatives 21 and 22 (the precursors
of the 2′,4′-BNANC[NH]- and [NMe]-5-methylcytosine
Figure 2. X-ray structure of 9.
phosphoroamidites), respectively, by the treatment of 1,2,4-
triazole in the presence of triethylamine and phosphoryl
chloride.65
2.2. Conformational Analysis of 2′,4′-BNANC. The confor-
mation of the sugar in 2′,4′-BNANC can be ascertained from
the 1H NMR spectra of 12-17, as well as the 1H NMR spectrum
and crystal structure of 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] monomer 9 (Figure
2, see also the Experimental Section). Non-observable coupling
between the hydrogens at the C1′ and C2′ positions (J1′,2′ ) 0)
in the 1H NMR spectra of 9 and 12-17 strongly suggested the
North-type (N-type) sugar pucker, as observed in 2′,4′-BNA
(LNA).18 The pseudorotation phase angle (P)66 in the crystal
structure of 9 was calculated to be 23.1°, which is close to those
of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA), ENA, and 2′,4′-BNACOC (17.4, 15.1, and
16.9°, respectively),18,46,52 as compared in Table 1. This result
indicates that the sugar puckering of 2′,4′-BNANC exists in the
N-conformation and the P values of the above BNAs also fall
in the C3′-endo conformation among the N-conformations.66
The torsion angle (δ) and the maximum torsion angle or out of
plane pucker (νmax) of 9 (δ ) 75.0°, νmax ) 48.6°), which are
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York, 1984.
9
J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 130, NO. 14, 2008 4889

A R T I C L E S
Abdur Rahman et al.
3. Properties of 2′,4′-BNANC. 3.1. Duplex Formation and
Table 1. Pseudorotaion Phase Angles (P) and Torsion Angles
(δ and νmax) of Different Bicyclic Nucleosides with 2′,4′-Linkage
and Natural RNA
Thermal Stability of the Duplex Formed by 2′,4′-BNANC
.
Formation of stable duplexes with complementary single-
stranded RNA (ssRNA) and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) is
essential for antisense and diagnostic applications. Duplex
nucleosides
P
δ
νmax
2′,4′-BNA (LNA) (NA-1)
ENA (NA-2)
17.4°
15.1°
16.9°
23.1°
14°
66.2°
75.7°
77.7°
75.0°
83°
56.6°
47.7°
38.0°
48.6°
38°
formation and the stability of duplexes formed by 2′,4′-BNANC
-
2′,4′-BNACOC (NA-5)
2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] (9)
A-type RNA
modified oligonucleotides 24a-c to 27a-c against comple-
mentary ssRNA 37 and ssDNA 38 (Tables 2 and 3) were
examined by UV melting experiments (Tm measurement), and
the results were compared with those obtained with natural and
2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-modified oligonucleotides 24d-27d. The Tm
values of the duplex formed between the complementary 12-
mer ssRNA target (37) and oligonucleotides containing a single
2′,4′-BNANC[NH], [NMe] or [NBn] modification increased by
6 °C (2′,4′-BNANC[NH]) or 5 °C (2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] and
[NBn]; Table 1) compared to that of natural oligonucleotide
23. Further incremental increases in Tm were observed upon an
increasing the number of modifications (oligonucleotides 25a-c
to 27a-c). The increase in Tm per modification (∆Tm/mod.) of
2′,4′-BNANC[NH], [NMe], and [NBn] ranges from 5.3 to 6.3 °C,
4.7 to 6.0 °C, and 4.7 to 6.0 °C, respectively, which is similar
to that of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA) (∆Tm/mod. ) +5.0 to +7.0 °C).
Interestingly, the Tm values of duplexes formed by 2′,4′-BNANC
-
[NH] oligonucleotides containing three or more modifications
(25a to 27a) are higher than those exhibited by the correspond-
ing 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-modified oligonucleotides (25d-27d). In
addition, the Tm values of the duplexes formed with 2′,4′-
BNANC[NMe] and [NBn] oligonucleotides, which have sterically
hindered methyl or benzyl substituents (25b,c to 27b,c), are
similar to those obtained with 2′,4′-BNA (LNA). These results
indicate that further modification of oligonucleotides with 2′,4′-
BNANC should produce very stable duplexes with ssRNA and
that oligonucleotides fully modified with 2′,4′-BNANC[NH]
might form duplexes more stable than those obtained with fully
modified 2′,4′-BNA (LNA) oligonucleotides.16,17
Figure 3. Sequences of oligonucleotides used in this study. Underlined
bold characters indicate the modified residues. Series a, b, c, and d represent
2′,4′-BNANC[NH]-, 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe]-, 2′,4′-BNANC[NBn]-, and 2′,4′-
BNA (LNA)-modified oligonucleotides, respectively.
known to affect the helical structure of the duplex formed by
oligonucleotides, are in the range of those of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)
(δ ) 66.2°, νmax ) 56.6°),18 ENA (δ ) 75.7°, νmax ) 47.7°),46
and 2′,4′-BNACOC (δ ) 77.7°, νmax )38.0°).52 These values
further indicate that the conformation of 9 is restricted to the
N-form seen in typical A-type RNA duplexes (P ) 14°, δ )
83°, νmax ) 38°).66 The observed variations of δ and νmax, which
indirectly indicate the degree of conformational restriction, are
clearly related to the length of the bridged moiety.
2.3. Synthesis of Oligonucleotides 23-36d. Following a
conventional phosphoroamidite protocol, a variety of modified
oligonucleotides were synthesized using 2′,4′-BNANC-phospho-
roamidites 18-22 and natural DNA amidite building blocks in
an automated DNA synthesizer. A set of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-
oligonucleotides with sequences identical to those of 2′,4′-
BNANC-modified oligonucleotides was synthesized to allow
direct comparison of their properties. The oligonucleotide
sequences synthesized for the present study are provided in
Figure 3. The coupling time for the modified oligonucleotides
was 5-6 min, and 1H-terazole and activator-42 (purchased from
Proligo) were used as activators. Coupling efficiency was
determined by trityl monitors and was found to be 95 to 100%.
Typical ammonia treatment cleaved the oligonucleotides from
the solid support and removed the phenoxyacetyl groups (24a-
36a). Simultaneously, the triazole group of (33a,b and 35a,b)
was converted to an amino group to give 2′,4′-BNANC-mC-
modified oligonucleotides. The oligonucleotides were purified
by reverse phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) and characterized by
MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy (mass spectral data and yields
of the oligonucleotides are provided in the Supporting Informa-
tion).
Affinity to the complementary 12-mer ssDNA target (38) was
also investigated; the Tm values are summarized in Table 3. A
single modification with 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] (24a) increased
affinity to ssDNA only slightly (∆Tm ) +1 °C), whereas a
single modification with 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] and [NBn] (oli-
gonucleotides 24b and 24c, respectively) decreased Tm by 1.0
and 2.0 °C, respectively, indicating that 2′,4′-BNANC is highly
RNA-selective. By increasing the number of modifications to
two 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] units,54 or three 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] or
[NBn] units (oligonucleotide 25b,c and 26b,c), affinity to
ssDNA further decreased or remain unchanged, whereas modi-
fication with 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] and 2′,4′-BNA (LNA) units
(oligonucleotides 25b,d and 26b,d) increased Tm compared to
that of natural oligonucleotide 23. The oligonucleotide with six
2′,4′-BNANC[NH] units (27a) showed a substantially increased
Tm value (Tm ) 73 °C; ∆Tm/mod. ) +3.8 °C) presumably due
to additional factors such as the effect of NH on stabilizing the
duplex.57-60
The RNA selective binding affinity of 2′,4′-BNANC analogues
was calculated from Tables 2 and 3, and the results are
summarized in Table 4. The duplex formed by natural oligo-
nucleotide 23 with the complementary ssRNA had a Tm value
5 °C lower than that obtained with the ssDNA complement. In
contrast, increasing the number of 2′,4′-BNANC modifications
gradually increased affinity for RNA, as shown by the ∆Tm
9
4890 J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 130, NO. 14, 2008

Design, Synthesis, and Properties of 2
′
,4′
-BNANC
A R T I C L E S
Table 2. Tm Values of Duplexes Formed by 2′,4′-BNANC- and 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-Modified Oligonucleotides with Complementary ssRNAa,b
Tm
(∆Tm/mod.) (
°
C)
,4
oligonucleotides
T
)
2′
,4′
-BNANC[NH]
2
′
,4′
-BNANC[NMe]
2
′
′
-BNANC[NBn]
2′,4′-BNA (LNA)
d(GCGTTTTTTGCT) (23)
45
45
45
45
d(GCGTTTTTTGCT)(24a-24d)
d(GCGTTTTTTGCT) (25a-25d)
d(GCGTTTTTTGCT)(26a-26d)
d(GCGTTTTTTGCT) (27a-27d)
51 (+6.0)
64 (+6.3)
61 (+5.3)
83 (+6.3)
50 (+5.0)
63 (+6.0)
59 (+4.7)
80 (+5.8)
50 (+5.0)
60 (+5.0)
59 (+4.7)
78 (+5.5)
52 (+7.0)
62 (+5.7)
60 (+5.0)
80 (+5.8)
a Target ssRNA: 5′-r(AGCAAAAAACGC)-3′ (37). b Conditions: 10 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) containing 100 mM NaCl; strand concentration
) 4 µM.
Table 3. Tm Values of Duplexes Formed by 2′,4′-BNANC- and 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-Modified Oligonucleotides with Complementary ssDNAa,b
Tm
(∆Tm /mod.) (
°C)
oligonucleotides
T
)
2′
,4′
-BNANC[NH]
2
′
,4′
-BNANC[NMe]
2
′
,4′
-BNANC[NBn]
2′,4′-BNA (LNA)
d(GCGTTTTTTGCT) (23)
50
50
50
50
d(GCGTTTTTTGCT)(24a -24d)
d(GCGTTTTTTGCT) (25a -25d)
d(GCGTTTTTTGCT)(26a -26d)
d(GCGTTTTTTGCT) (27a -27d)
51 (+1.0)
55 (+1.7)
57 (+2.3)
73 (+3.8)
49 (-1.0)
51 (+0.3)
50 (+0.0)
61 (+1.8)
48 (-2.0)
44 (-2.0)
45 (-1.3)
58 (+1.3)
53 (+3.0)
56 (+2.0)
54 (+1.3)
67 (+2.8)
a Target ssDNA: 5′-d(AGCAAAAAACGC)-3′ (38). b Conditions: 10 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) containing 100 mM NaCl; strand concentration
) 4 µM.
Table 4. Selective Binding Affinity to RNA by 2′,4′-BNANC- and 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-Modified Oligonucleotidesa,b
∆
Tm
)
Tm (ssRNA)
−
Tm (ssDNA)
,4
(°C)
oligonucleotides
T)
2′
,4′
-BNANC[NH]
2
′
,4′
-BNANC[NMe]
2
′
′
-BNANC[NBn]
2
′
,4′
-BNA (LNA)
d(GCGTTTTTTGCT) (23)
-5
+0
-5
+1
-5
+2
+16
+14
+20
-5
-1
d(GCGTTTTTTGCT)(24a -24d)
d(GCGTTTTTTGCT) (25a -25d)
d(GCGTTTTTTGCT)(26a -26d)
d(GCGTTTTTTGCT) (27a -27d)
+9
+12
+9
+6
+4
+10
+6
+13
+19
a Target strands ) RNA 37 and DNA 38. b Conditions: 10 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) containing 100 mM NaCl; strand concentration ) 4
µM.
Table 5. Tm Values of Duplexes Formed by 2′,4′-BNANC- and
2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-Modified Oligonucleotides with Complementary
ssRNA Containing a Single-Mismatch Basea,b
values (difference between affinities to RNA and DNA comple-
ments). Both 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] and [NBn] displayed promis-
ing RNA selective binding affinity, superior to that of 2′,4′-
BNA (LNA). Interestingly, the most prominent RNA selectivity
was achieved with the 2′,4′-BNANC[NBn] analogue (RNA
selectivity of 2′,4′-BNANC[NBn] is even higher than that of 2′,4′-
BNANC[NMe]54). Thus, modification with sterically hindered
2′,4′-BNANC analogues improves RNA selectivity, which could
be very useful in antisense applications.4 This increased affinity
for RNA over DNA by 2′,4′-BNANC results from restricting
the sugar conformation to the N-form,15 as well as from
unfavorable steric interactions with DNA strands.
Tm
(
∆Tm
)
Tm (mismatch)
−
Tm (match) ) (°C)
T (oligonucleotide)
X
)
A (match)
U
G
C
natural (23)
45
51
50
50
52
33 (-12) 42 (-3) 30 (-15)
37 (-14) 46 (-5) 34 (-17)
37 (-13) 48 (-2) 34 (-16)
36 (-14) 46 (-4) 33 (-17)
39 (-13) 47 (-5) 35 (-17)
2′,4′-BNANC[NH] (24a)
2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] (24b)
2′,4′-BNANC[NBn] (24c)
2′,4′-BNA (LNA) (24d)
a Modified oligonucleotides, 5′-d(GCGTTTTTTGCT)-3′; Target ssRNA
strand, 3′-r(CGCAAXAAACGA)-5′. b Conditions: 10 mM sodium phos-
phate buffer (pH 7.2) containing 100 mM NaCl; strand concentration ) 4
µM.
3.2. Mismatch Discrimination Studies with 2′,4′-BNANC
-
Modified Oligonucleotides. Because 2′,4′-BNANC-modified
oligonucleotides exhibited high-affinity sequence selective
hybridization with ssRNA, their ability to discriminate bases
was evaluated using single-mismatch ssRNA strands (Table 5).
As indicated by the ∆Tm values in Table 5, any mismatched
base in the target RNA strand resulted in a substantial decrease
in the Tm of duplexes formed with 2′,4′-BNANC-modified
oligonucleotides. For example, the ∆Tm values of duplexes
formed with 2′,4′-BNANC[NH]-modified oligonucleotide 24a
having T-U, T-G, and T-C arrangements are -14, -5,
-17 °C, respectively, which are lower than those of the
corresponding natural DNA-RNA duplexes (∆Tm ) -12, -3,
and -15 °C, respectively) and similar to those exhibited by
duplexes formed with 2′,4′-BNA (LNA) oligonucleotide 24d
(∆Tm ) -13, -5, and -17 °C, respectively). The mismatch
discrimination profiles of 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] and [NBn] were
also similar to that of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA), except in the case of
the T-G arrangement for the 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] derivative,
as shown in Table 5. Thus, it appears that 2′,4′-BNANC not only
exhibits high-affinity RNA selective hybridization, but is also
highly selective in recognizing bases.
3.3. Helical Structure of 2′,4′-BNANC-Modified Oligo-
nucleotide Duplex. To understand the helical structure of
duplexes formed by 2′,4′-BNANC-modified oligonucleotides,
duplexes containing 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] and 2′,4′-BNANC[NBn]
(Supporting Information) oligonucleotides were analyzed by CD
spectroscopy and the spectra were compared with those of
natural RNA/RNA (39/37), DNA/RNA (23/37), RNA/DNA (39/
38), and DNA/DNA (23/38) duplexes (Figure 4 and Figure SI-1
in the Supporting Information). Generally, natural RNA/RNA
duplexes are A-form duplexes exhibiting a positive cotton effect
9
J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 130, NO. 14, 2008 4891

A R T I C L E S
Abdur Rahman et al.
Figure 4. CD Spectra of duplexes formed by 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe]-modified oligonucleotides 25b and 27b with complementary RNA (37, part A) and DNA
(38, part B). The spectra were compared with those of natural RNA duplex (39(5′-GCGUUUUUUGCT-3′)/37), DNA/RNA duplex (23/37), RNA/DNA
duplex (39/38), and DNA duplex (23/38). Duplex concentration, 4µM in 10 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) containing 100 mM NaCl.
Table 6. Tm Values of Triplexes Formed by 2′,4′-BNANC- and 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-Modified Oligonucleotides with Complementary dsDNA (in
a,b
the Absence of Mg2+
)
Tm (∆Tm /mod.) (°C)
oligonucleotides
T
)
2′
,4′
-BNANC
2′,4′-BNA (LNA)
[NH]
[NMe]
[NBn]
d(TTTTTmCTTTmCTmCTmCT) (28)
33
33
33
33
d(TTTTTmCTTTmCTmCTmCT) (29a - 29d)
d(TTTTTmCTTTmCTmCTmCT) (30a - 30d)
d(TTTTTmCTTTmCTmCTmCT) (31a - 31d)
d(TTTTTmCTTTmCTmCTmCT) (32a, 32b, 32d)
d(TTTTTmCTTTmCTmCTmCT) (33a, 33b, 33d)
d(TTTTTmCTTTmCTmCTmCT) (34a, 34b, 34d)
d(TTTTTmCTTTmCTmCTmCT) (35a, 35b, 35d)
44 (+11.0)c
60 (+9.0)c
59 (+8.7)c
58 (+6.3)c
64 (+6.2)c
78 (+6.4)c
80 (+3.1)c
38 (+5.0)
47 (+4.6)
42 (+3.0)
45 (+3.0)
50 (+3.4)
59 (+3.7)
33 (+0.0)
32 (-0.3)
31 (-0.7)
44 (+11.0)c
59 (+8.7)c
52 (+6.3)c
57 (+6.0)c
65 (+6.4)c
67 (+4.9)c
<5 (<-2)c
<5 (<-2)
a Target dsDNA: 5′-d(GCTAAAAAGAAAGAGAGATCG)-3′/3′-d(CGATTTTTCTTTCTCTCTAGC)-5′; underlined portion indicates the target site for
triplex formation. b Conditions: 7 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) containing 140 mM KCl; strand concentration ) 1.5 µM. c Data from ref 53.
between 260 and 280 nm and a negative cotton band around
210 nm.67 In contrast, natural DNA/DNA duplexes have a
B-form helix with positive cotton bands around 280 and 220
nm and a negative cotton band around 240 nm. As described
above, a control RNA/RNA duplex showed a typical A-form
spectrum (part A of Figure 4) and a DNA/DNA duplex provided
a B-form spectrum (part B of Figure 4). Minimal spectral
of 2′,4′-BNANC modifications change a typical B-form helical
structure of DNA/DNA (23/38) duplex to an A-form helix, that
is, the A-form helical character is strengthened by the introduc-
tion of 2′,4′-BNANC-modified oligonucleotides. This change in
helical conformation is similar to that obtained with 2′,4′-BNA
(LNA),19 which results from the conformational restriction of
the sugar moiety to the N-form. The tendency of 2′,4′-BNANC
duplexes to adopt the A-form is the primary reason for the high
affinity of 2′,4′-BNANC oligonucleotides for RNA over DNA.
3.4. Triplex Formation and Triplex Stability. Applications
in antigene2 and gene repair technologies68,69 require the
formation of stable triplexes at physiological pH. In our
preliminary report,53 we showed that 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] has
superior triplex-forming characteristics compared to those of
2′,4′-BNA (LNA) and ENA. We here disclose full details of
triplex formation by the three 2′,4′-BNANC analogues (2′,4′-
BNANC[NH], [NMe], and [NBn]) in the absence and presence
of divalent metal (Mg2+). The triplex-forming ability of the 2′,4′-
BNANC analogues against a 21 bp double-stranded DNA
(dsDNA) in the absence of divalent metal is summarized in
Table 6. A single modification of the triplex-forming oligo-
nucleotide (TFO) 28 with 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] (TFO 29a) in-
creased the Tm of the triplex by 11 °C, which is equal to that
changes were observed in the duplex formed by 2′,4′-BNANC
-
[NMe]-modified oligonucleotides 25b and 27b with RNA 37
compared with a natural RNA/RNA (39/37) duplex. Both 25b
and 27b produced similar spectra, although the intensity of the
cotton band at 220 nm was a little lower than that of the RNA/
RNA duplex. Compared with DNA/RNA duplex 23/37, the
cotton bands near 220 and 240 nm were slightly decreased in
intensity, similar to that observed for the A-form RNA duplex
(39/37).
In contrast, there is a remarkable spectral change in duplexes
formed with DNA complement (part B of Figure 4). The
intensity of the cotton band at 220 nm was decreased, whereas
that of the 280 nm band was increased, similar to that observed
for natural RNA/DNA duplex (39/38). A larger effect was
observed with oligonucleotide 27b containing six 2′,4′-BNANC
-
[NMe] units. These observations indicate that the introduction
(68) Soyfer, V. N.; Potaman, V. N. Triple-Helical Nucleic Acids; Springer-
Verlag: New York, 1996.
(69) Seidman, M. M.; Glazer, P. M. J. Clin. InVest. 2003, 112, 487.
(67) Gray, D. M.; Hung, S.-H.; Johnson, K. H. Methods Enzymol. 1995, 246,
19.
9
4892 J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 130, NO. 14, 2008

Design, Synthesis, and Properties of 2
′
,4′
-BNANC
A R T I C L E S
Table 7. Tm Values of Triplexes Formed by 2′,4′-BNANC- and 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-Modified Oligonucleotides with Complementary dsDNA in the
Presence of Mg2+ a,b
Tm (∆Tm /mod.) (°C)
oligonucleotides
T
)
2′
,4′
-BNANC
2′,4′-BNA (LNA)
[NH]
[NMe]
[NBn]
d(TTTTTmCTTTmCTmCTmCT) (28)
43
43
43
43
d(TTTTTmCTTTmCTmCTmCT) (29a - 29d)
d(TTTTTmCTTTmCTmCTmCT) (30a - 30d)
d(TTTTTmCTTTmCTmCTmCT) (31a - 31d)
55 (+12.0)
73 (+10.0)
71 (+9.3)
49 (+6.0)
61 (+6.0)
54 (+3.6)
44 (+1.0)
45 (+0.7)
44 (+0.3)
55 (+12.0)
72 (+9.7)
64 (+7.0)
a Target dsDNA: 5′-d(GCTAAAAAGAAAGAGAGATCG)-3′/3′-d(CGATTTTTCTTTCTCTCTAGC)-5′; underlined portion indicates the target site for triplex
formation. b Conditions: 7 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) containing 140 mM KCl and 10 mM MgCl2; strand concentration ) 1.5 µM.
exhibited by the triplex of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-modified TFO 29d.
The Tm of the triplex formed by the corresponding 2′,4′-BNANC
seven with 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] residue (compare Tm values of
TFOs 33a and 34a). Most interestingly, a fully modified 2′,4′-
BNANC[NH]-TFO (35a) formed a stable triplex with a Tm value
as high as 80 °C, whereas the corresponding 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-
and 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe]-TFOs (35d and 35b, respectively) were
unable to interact with the dsDNA. The same negative result
was obtained previously with fully modified 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)
oligonucleotides.47,70 The inability of fully modified 2′,4′-
BNANC[NMe] to form a stable triplex is probably due to steric
factors, and in the case of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA) it is possibly due
to the over-rigidity of its overall structure.47,48,70 It is therefore
noteworthy that modifications with 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] eliminate
the limitations of placing alternating DNA monomers (using
one 2′,4′-BNA (LNA) for every two or three DNA nucleotides)70
for optimum triplex stability.
-
[NMe]-TFO 29b is 5 °C higher than that of natural-TFO 28,
and that of 2′,4′-BNANC[NBn]-TFO 29c is equal to that of the
natural oligonucleotide. In the case of 2′,4′-BNANC[NH],
increasing the number of modifications (TFOs 30a-34a) greatly
enhanced triplex thermal stability (∆Tm/mod. ) +6.2 to +9 °C),
which is similar to or even higher than that of the corresponding
2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-TFOs (30d-34d; ∆Tm/mod. ) +4.9 to
+8.7 °C). The thermal stability of the triplex formed by the
corresponding 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe]-TFOs (30b-34b), although
significantly higher than that obtained with natural DNA-TFO
28, is lower than that of 2′,4′-BNANC[NH]- and 2′,4′-BNA
(LNA)-TFOs (31a,d-35a,d). Modification with 2′,4′-BNANC
-
[NBn] units (29c-31c) did not affect the thermal stability of
the triplex; that is, the thermal stability was similar to that of
As it is well-known that the triplex is stabilized by multivalent
metal cations (such as Mg2+),68 and Tm values in the presence
of physiological concentrations of Mg2+ were measured (Table
7). Further incremental increases in Tm values were observed,
as shown in Table 7. As expected, a similar variation in triplex
stability was observed in triplexes formed by TFOs 31a and
31d with three consecutive 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] and 2′,4′-BNA
(LNA) residues, respectively.
The extraordinarily high triplex stability exhibited by 2′,4′-
BNANC[NH]-TFOs prompted us to find out possible reasons
for its improved hybridization. Stabilization of the duplex and
triplex structures by modified oligonucleotides containing amino
nitrogen was reported to be accomplished by forming positively
charged nitrogen atoms via protonation.2,57-60 This positively
charged nitrogen can stabilize duplexes and triplexes either by
electrostatic interactions with the negatively charged phosphate
strands or by reducing the repulsion between the phosphate
backbone. To understand whether protonation of the amino
nitrogen of 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] is possible or not at the experi-
mental pH (pH 7.0-7.2), we conducted pH titration experiments
for measuring the pKa of 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] monomer with a
free N-H group on the bridged moiety.72 The pKa was found
to be less than 3.0 (Supporting Information for pH titration
curves), which is even lower than that reported for the simple
methylhydroxylamines.73 This means that protonation of the
natural DNA-TFO, 28. The lower stability of the 2′,4′-BNANC
-
[NMe] and [NBn] triplexes might be due to unfavorable steric
interaction with dsDNA, induced by the methyl or benzyl
groups. Although this steric bulk is well tolerated in duplex
formation, it appears to be unsuitable in the triplex, where the
combined structural features are more complex and the accom-
modation of steric bulk is difficult.68 The most striking behavior
shown by 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] is that consecutive modification
(as in TFO 31a) with 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] does not affect triplex
stability, as shown by the Tm of the triplex formed by 31a (Tm
value 59 °C, which is as high as that obtained with TFO 30a
containing interrupted modifications). In contrast, there is
significant reduction in the Tm value of the triplex of 2′,4′-BNA
(LNA)-modified TFO 31d compared to the triplex of TFO 30d,
which has modifications separated by natural DNA units. A
previous report described the more drastic reduction in Tm value
of a 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-TFO having four consecutive 2′,4′-BNA
(LNA) modifications (∆Tm/mod. ) +1 °C only) compared to
that obtained by alternating 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-substitutions
(∆Tm/mod. ) +4.5 °C).70 Not only the consecutively modified
TFO 31a but also the extensively modified 2′,4′-BNANC[NH]-
TFO 34a showed a Tm value 11 °C higher than that of the
corresponding 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-TFO 34d. In fact, in the case
of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA), increasing the number of modifications
from five (TFO 33d) to seven (TFO 34d) did not improve triplex
stability significantly (Tm ) 65 and 67 °C for TFOs 33d and
34d, respectively), consistent with our previous observations
with 2′,4′-BNA (LNA).71 In contrast, Tm improved markedly
(14 °C) by increasing the number of modifications from five to
(71) In our previous investigation, TFOs modified with five or seven 2′,4′-BNA
(LNA) residues showed essentially similar Tm values. See, for example,
Torigoe, H.; Hari, Y.; Sekiguchi, M.; Obika, S.; Imanishi, T. J. Biol. Chem.
2001, 276, 2354.
(72) The 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] monomer with the free N-H group (not the
monomer 13 containing a Pac group, used for oligomerization) was
synthesized from 12 by desilylation with 46% HF in acetonitrile.
(73) For usual pKa values of amines, hydroxylamines, and methylhydroxy-
lamines, see, for example, Bissot, T. C.; Parry, R. W.; Campbell, D. H. J.
Am. Chem Soc. 1957, 79, 796.
(70) Sun, B-W.; Babu, B. R.; Sørensen, M. D.; Zakrzewska, K.; Wengel, J.;
Sun, J-S. Biochemistry 2004, 43, 4160.
9
J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 130, NO. 14, 2008 4893

A R T I C L E S
Abdur Rahman et al.
Figure 5. Molecular modeling of a parallel-motif triplex formed by 2′,4′-BNANC[NH]-TFO 31a with dsDNA. (A) Overall view of the triplex: the dsDNA
is shown as a gray CPK model with the phosphate backbone of the purine strand colored red and purple. TFO 31a is shown as a colored tube model with
three 2′,4′-BNANC nitrogens represented in green. (B) Expanded view of the area of the triplex containing three consecutive 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] residues,
showing that the 2′,4′-BNANC nitrogens are very close to the phosphate moiety of the purine strand.
Table 8. Sequence-Specific Triplex Formation by 2′,4′-BNANC
-
matched dsDNAs having G:C, C:G, and T:A arrangements
decreased significantly compared to matched DNA (A:T ar-
rangement). For example, against a dsDNA target having G:C
arrangement at the center of the target, the Tm value decreased
by 25 °C for both 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] and [NMe] oligonucleotides
29a and 29b, respectively. This is larger than the decrease by
natural-TFO 28 and similar to that exhibited by 2′,4′-BNA-TFO
29d. To the mismatched targets with C:G and T:A arrangements,
again a very large decrease in Tm value was observed compared
Modified TFOsa,b
Tm
(
∆
Tm
)
Tm (mismatch)
G:C
−
Tm (match) ) (
°C)
T (oligonucleotide)
X:Y
)
A:T (match)
C:G
T:G
natural (28)
43
55
49
55
21 (-22) 25 (-18) 18 (-25)
30 (-25) 28 (-27) 15 (-40)
24 (-25) 22 (-27) 14 (-35)
31 (-24) 35 (-20) 16 (-39)
2′,4′-BNANC[NH] (29a)
2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] (29b)
2′,4′-BNA(LNA) (29d)
a Modified TFO: 5′-d(TTTTTCTTTCTCTCT)-3′; target dsDNA: 5′-
d(GCTAAAAAGAXAGAGAGATCG)-3′; 3′-d(CGATTTTTCTYTCTCTC-
TAGC)-5′. b Conditions: 7 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) contain-
ing 140 mM KCl and 10 mM MgCl2; strand concentration ) 1.5 µM.
to matched (A:T) bases (∆Tm ) -27 °C for both 2′,4′-BNANC
-
[NH] and [NMe] against C:G arrangement and -40 and -35
°C, respectively, for 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] and [NMe] against T:A
arrangement). These values are significantly larger than that
obtained with natural-TFO 28 (∆Tm ) -18 and -25 °C for
C:G and T:A arrangements, respectively). These results show
that 2′,4′-BNANC-TFOs form triplexes with very high sequence
specificity. The mismatch discriminating power of 2′,4′-BNANC
analogues to C:G arrangements is even higher than that of 2′,4′-
BNA (LNA) (∆Tm ) -20 °C), whereas its discrimination for
T:A arrangements is similar to that of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA).
Because of its low triplex-forming ability, 2′,4′-BNANC[NBn]
may not be suitable for triplex approaches, and therefore its
sequence specificity would be meaningless.
3.5. Nuclease Resistance of 2′,4′-BNANC Oligonucleotides.
The rapid degradation of oligonucleotides by nucleases must
be overcome if oligonucleotides are to be used in in vivo
applications. Although the backbone of PS oligonucleotides has
improved resistance to nuclease degradation, their nuclease
resistance is still suboptimal.49,74 Additional nuclease resistance
is therefore required. We examined the resistance of oligo-
nucleotides modified with a single 2′,4′-BNANC unit (oligo-
nucleotides 36a-c) toward 3′-exonuclease (Crotalus adaman-
teus venom phosphodiesterase, CAVP, Pharmacia) degradation
and compared it with natural oligonucleotide 40, 2′,4′-BNA
(LNA)-, and PS-modified oligonucleotides 36d and 41, respec-
amino nitrogen of 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] is unlikely at the experi-
mental pH, and, hence, enhanced stabilization of the triplexes
might not be happening via protonation. We speculate that
stabilization of the triplexes might be governed by different
reasons such as additional hydrogen bonding between the N-H
hydrogen and the phosphate oxygen of dsDNA and/or confor-
mational bias of the six-membered bridged structure, as seen
in the case of ENA.55,70
To see the possibility of additional hydrogen bonding between
nitrogen of the bridged moiety and the phosphate of the dsDNA
strand, molecular modeling of a triplex formed by dsDNA and
2′,4′-BNANC[NH]-TFO with three consecutive 2′,4′-BNANC
[NH] residues (TFO 31a) was performed (Figure 5). The
structure was based on the A-form triplex geometry, and energy
minimization was accomplished after the incorporation of three
2′,4′-BNANC[NH] residues. It was found that the nitrogens
(green atoms) and N-hydrogens of the 2′,4′-BNANC-bridged
structure are very close to the phosphodiester linkage (red and
purple atoms in the purine strand), implying that there could
be hydrogen bonding between N-hydrogens and phosphate
oxygens of the purine strand.2
Next, sequence specificity or mismatch discrimination studies
were performed using 2′,4′-BNANC-TFOs 29a and 29b; the
results are summarized in Table 8. It was found that the Tm
values of triplexes formed by 2′,4′-BNANC-TFOs with mis-
-
(74) Geary, R. S.; Yu, R. Z.; Levin, A. A. Curr. Opin. InVest. Drugs 2001, 2,
562.
9
4894 J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 130, NO. 14, 2008

Design, Synthesis, and Properties of 2
′
,4′
-BNANC
A R T I C L E S
Conclusion
We have synthesized three 2′,4′-BNANC nucleotides (2′,4′-
BNANC[NH], [NMe], and [NBn]) with a six-membered bridged
structure containing an amino nitrogen. The synthesis of the
nucleotides was greatly simplified and improved, as demon-
strated by the one-pot conversion of 11 to 12 in very good yield.
The nitrogen on the bridge was easily functionalized with alkyl
or benzyl groups, suggesting that a wide range of functional
molecules can be synthesized by appropriate functionalization.
The nucleotides were successfully incorporated into a variety
of oligonucleotides for various studies.
2′,4′-BNANC-modified oligonucleotides show very high target
affinity, similar to or even higher than that of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA).
Following hybridization to a complementary RNA, the increase
in Tm per modification was very high, that is, 5 to 6 °C, similar
to that observed with 2′,4′-BNA (LNA). The Tm values of
oligonucleotides with an increased number of 2′,4′-BNANC[NH]
modifications exceed that of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA). In addition, 2′,4′-
BNANC[NMe] and [NBn] along with their high RNA affinity
comparable to that of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA), showed better RNA
selectivity than 2′,4′-BNA (LNA). Triplex formation is greatly
enhanced by 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] modifications. The triplex
stability of 2′,4′-BNANC[NH]-modified oligonucleotides with
consecutive or extensive modifications are consistently higher
than those of 2′,4′-BNA (LNA) and ENA,53 and a fully modified
2′,4′-BNANC[NH]-TFO formed a highly stable triplex at neutral
pH. 2′,4′-BNANC modifications dramatically improve resistance
to nuclease degradation, which is far higher than that of 2′,4′-
BNA (LNA). The nuclease resistance of 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] is
even slightly higher than that of PS oligonucleotide. These
characteristics indicate that all of the 2′,4′-BNANC[NH], [NMe]
and [NBn] analogues have significant potential for antisense
applications. 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] and [NBn] will be particularly
suitable for antisense approaches, whereas 2′,4′-BNANC[NH]
might be more useful in antigene applications, but also for
antisense approaches.
In summary, because of its pronounced affinity for target
strands and extraordinarily high nuclease resistance, 2′,4′-
BNANC is clearly a highly suitable BNA analogue for powerful
applications in genomics. Moreover, instead of the common
practice of functionalizing at the base (which might decrease
the hybridizing affinity of a nucleic acid), appropriate func-
tionalization of the nitrogen on the bridged structure might be
possible without hampering hybridizing affinity,76 allowing the
generation of a wide range of molecules with improved nuclease
resistance54 or cellular uptake,77 or with characteristics appropri-
ate for a variety of applications such as fluorescence probes,78
DNA cleavage activators,79 etc.). In addition, cleavage of the
N-O bond might modulate the hybridizing properties of 2′,4′-
BNANC oligonucleotides, enabling their possible use in DNA
nanotechnology.80
Figure 6. Nuclease resistance of T8XT oligonucleotides against CAVP;
X ) natural-T (40) (green), phosphorthioate-T (41) (black), 2′,4′-BNA-T
(36d) (orange), 2′,4′-BNANC[NH]-T (36a) (blue), 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe]-T
(36b) (red), 2′,4′-BNANC[NBn]-T (36c) (magenta). Hydrolysis of the
oligonucleotides (10 µg) was carried out at 37 °C in buffer (200 µL)
containing 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0), 10 mM MgCl2, and CAVP (0.25
µg). Curve fitting equation: y ) 100 × e-ax (for parameters and errors,
Experimental Section).
tively (Figure 6). Our preliminary report54 showed that 2′,4′-
BNANC[NMe]-modified oligonucleotides are much more resis-
tant to degradation by snake venom phosphodiesterase (SVPDE,
Boehringer Mannheim) than are 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-modified
oligonucleotides and are even more resistant than the more stable
Sp-isomer of PS oligonucleotide.75 In the present study, we
examined the nuclease resistance of all of the 2′,4′-BNANC
analogues (2′,4′-BNANC[NH], [NMe], and [NBn] analogues)
using CAVP and compared the results with those obtained for
2′,4′-BNA (LNA) and PS oligonucleotides. Nuclease resistance
was evaluated by incubating the specified oligonucleotides with
CAVP and analyzing the percentage of intact oligonucleotides
at several time points by RP-HPLC (Experimental Section). The
results are shown in Figure 6. The natural and 2′,4′-BNA (LNA)-
modified oligothymidylates (40 and 36d, respectively) were
completely digested within 3 and 15 min, respectively. In
marked contrast, 2′,4′-BNANC-modified oligothymidylates were
stable under identical reaction conditions. 2′,4′-BNANC[NH]-
modified oligonucleotide 36a is remarkably stable under these
conditions: about 40% survived after 40 min of exposure.
Among the 2′,4′-BNANC analogues, 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] was
found to be the more stable analogue, with 82% of the
oligonucleotides remaining intact after 40 min exposure at 37 °C,
and 77% survived even after 90 min (data not shown). The
overall nuclease resistance of 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] is higher than
that of Sp-PS oligonucleotide, consistent with our previous
observation.54 Unexpectedly, the nuclease resistance of 2′,4′-
BNANC[NBn] (oligonucleotide 36c) is similar to that of 2′,4′-
BNANC[NH], showing that benzyl substitution does not improve
nuclease resistance in comparison to that of 2′,4′-BNANC[NH].
The excellent resistance of 2′,4′-BNANC[NMe] oligonucleotide
36b to CAVP is probably due to steric hindrance of the
phosphodiester linkage exerted by the methyl-substituted six-
membered bridged moiety. From these results, it can be antic-
ipated that oligonucleotides with multiple 2′,4′-BNANC sub-
stitutions will be largely resistant toward nuclease degradation.
Experimental Section
Synthesis and Characterization of Compounds: General Aspects
and Instrumentation. Melting points are uncorrected. All of the
(76) Hrdlicka, P. J.; Babu, B. R.; Sørensen, M. D.; Harrit, N.; Wengel, J. J.
Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 13293.
(77) Ueno, Y.; Tomino, K.; Sugimoto, I.; Matsuda, A. Tetrahedron 2000, 56,
7903; and references therein.
(78) Ranasinghe, R.; Brown, T. Chem. Commun. 2005, 5487.
(79) Bales, B. C.; Kodama, T.; Weledji, Y. N.; Pitie´, M.; Meunier, B.; Greeberg,
M. M. Nucleic Acids Res. 2005, 33, 5371.
(75) Burgers, P. M. J.; Sathyanarayana, B. K.; Saenger, W.; Eckstein, F. Eur.
J. Biochem. 1979, 100, 585.
(80) Kalek, M.; Madsen, A. S.; Wengel, J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 9392.
9
J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 130, NO. 14, 2008 4895

A R T I C L E S
Abdur Rahman et al.
moisture-sensitive reactions were carried out in well-dried glassware
under a N2 atmosphere. Dichloromethane, ethanol, triethylamine, and
pyridine were distilled from CaH2. Dry MeCN was used as purchased.
1H NMR (270, 300, or 500 MHz), 13C NMR (67, 75, and 125 MHz)
and 31P NMR spectra (202 MHz) were recorded on JEOL EX-270,
JEOL-AL-300, and JEOL GX-500 spectrometers, respectively. Chemi-
cal shifts are reported in parts per million downfield from internal
samples were then annealed by heating at 90 °C for 5 min, followed
by slow cooling to room temperature. The samples were then stored at
4 °C for 1 h prior to Tm measurements. The melting profiles were
recorded at 260 nm from 10 to 90 °C at a scan rate of 0.5 °C/min. Tm
was calculated as the temperature at which the duplexes were half
dissociated, determined by taking the first derivative of the melting
curve.
1
tetramethylsilane for H, CHCl3 (δ ) 77.0) for 13C NMR, and 85%
CD Spectra. CD spectra were recorded on a JASCO J-720W
spectropolarimeter. A solution of the duplex (4 µM) in 10 mM sodium
phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) containing 100 mM NaCl was placed in the
cell and the spectra were measured from 350 to 200 nm at 20 °C.
Nuclease Resistance Study. CAVP (0.25 µg) was added to a
solution of oligonucleotides (1.5 nmol) 36a-36d, 40, and 41 in 50
mM Tris‚HCl buffer (pH 8.0) containing 10 mM MgCl2. The cleavage
reaction was carried out at 37 °C. At several time points, a portion of
each reaction mixture was removed and heated to 90 °C for 2 min to
inactivate the nuclease. The amount of intact oligonucleotide remaining
was evaluated by RP-HPLC. The percentages of intact oligonucleotides
were then plotted against the time of exposure to get the oligo-
nucleotide degradation curve with time. The fitted line for each
oligonucleotide degradation was obtained by the model equation, y )
100 × e-ax. The parameters (a) and the errors (R2) of the fitting curve
H3PO4 (δ ) 0) for 31P spectra. IR spectra were recorded on a JASCO
FTIR-200 spectrometer. Optical rotations were recorded on a JASCO
DIP-370 instrument. Mass spectra were measured on JEOL JMS-600
or JMS-700 mass spectrometers. For column chromatography, silica
gel FL 100D was used. Full experimental details and characterization
data for all of the new compounds are described in the Supporting
Information.
X-ray Crystallography. Crystallographic data for 9 have been
deposited at the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Center. CCDC-
647092 contains the supplementary crystallographic data for 9. This
data can be obtained free of charge via www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk/conts/
retrieving.html (or from the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre,
12 Union Road, Cambridge CB2 1EZ, U.K.; fax: +44 1223 336033;
or deposit@ccdc.cam.ac.uk).
Oligonucleotide Synthesis. Synthesis of oligonucleotides 23-36d
was performed on a 0.2 µmol scale using an Expedite (TM) 8909
Nucleic Acid Synthesis System according to a standard phosphoroa-
midite protocol with 1-H tetrazole and activator-42 as the activators.
All of the reagents were assembled, and the oligonucleotides were
synthesized according to the standard synthesis cycle (trityl off mode)
with the exception of a prolonged coupling time (5-6 min) for 2′,4′-
BNANC monomers. For fully modified oligonucleotides 35a, 35b, and
35d, and the universal solid support (Glen Research) was used, whereas
for all other oligonucleotides the standard CPG-solid supports from
Glen Research were used. After synthesis, the solid supported oligo-
nucleotides were treated with concentrated ammonium hydroxide
solution (1 mL) at room temperature for 1.5 h and then at 55 °C for
16-24 h. The ammonia solutions were then concentrated, and the crude
oligonucleotides were initially purified by NAP 10 columns (Amersham
Biosciences) followed by further purification by RP-HPLC with a Wako
WakopackR WS-DNA (10 × 250 mm2) or Waters X-Terra (10 × 50
mm2) column using 4-32% MeCN in 0.1 M triethylammonium acetate
buffer (pH 7.0). The oligonucleotides were analyzed for purity by HPLC
and characterized by MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy (for MALDI-
TOF mass data and isolated yields, see the Supporting Information).
UV Melting Experiment. UV melting experiments were carried out
on a Beckman DU-650 spectrometer equipped with a Tm analysis
accessory. For the duplex formation study, equimolar amounts of the
target RNA/DNA strand and oligonucleotide were dissolved in 10 mM
sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) containing 100 mM NaCl to provide
final-strand concentrations of 4 µM. For the triplex formation study,
equimolar amounts of target dsDNA and oligonucleotide were added
in 7 mM Na2HPO4 buffer (pH 7.0) containing 140 mM KCl to give
final strand concentrations of 1.5 µM. The oligonucleotide/target
of each oligonucleotide are as follows: 36a, a ) 2.81 × 10-2 min-1
,
R2 ) 0.974; 36b, a ) 5.12 × 10-3 min-1, R2 ) 0.986; 36c, a ) 2.72
× 10-2 min-1, R2 ) 0.984; 36d, a ) 2.97 × 10-1 min-1, R2 ) 1.000;
40, a ) 2.75 min-1, R2 ) 1.000; 41, a ) 6.84 × 10-3 min-1, R2 )
0.866.
Acknowledgment. This work was partially supported by
PRESTO and the Creation and Support Program for Start-ups
from the Universities of the Japan Science and Technology
Agency (JST). Generous help from Dr. Takuya Yoshida
(Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University)
for measuring the pKa of 2′,4′-BNANC[NH] monomer is
gratefully acknowledged. S.M.A.R. thanks the Japan Society
for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) for financial support.
Supporting Information Available: Experimental details and
synthesis of 1, full experimental procedures for the synthesis
of 2-22, and the characterization data for all new compounds,
table of optimized reaction conditions for the synthesis of 12,
1H and 13C spectra of all new compounds (3-7, benzyl
derivative of 12, and 14 and 17,) 31P NMR spectra of 18-22,
MALDI-TOF mass data and yields of oligonucleotides 24a-d
to 36a-d, CD spectra of duplexes formed by 2′,4′-BNANC
-
[NBn]-modified oligonucleotides, UV melting curves, pH
titration curves for pKa measurement, complete ref 32, and
crystallographic information files (CIF). This material is avail-
able free of charge via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org.
JA710342Q
9
4896 J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 130, NO. 14, 2008