Synthesis and properties of 2'-O-methyl-2-thiouridine and oligoribonucleotides containing 2'-O-methyl-2-thiouridine

Sensitive and Simultaneous Determination of Uridine Thiolation and Hydroxylation Modifications in Eukaryotic RNA by Derivatization Coupled with Mass Spectrometry Analysis

The discovery of dynamic and reversible modifications in RNA expands their functional repertoires. Now, RNA modifications have been viewed as new regulators involved in a variety of biological processes. Among these modifications, thiolation is one kind of special modification in RNA. Several thiouridines have been identified to be present in RNA, and they are essential in the natural growth and metabolism of cells. However, detection of these thiouridines generally is challenging, and few studies could offer the quantitative levels of uridine modifications in RNA, which limits the in-depth elucidation of their functions. Herein, we developed a chemical derivatization in combination with mass spectrometry analysis for the sensitive and simultaneous determination of uridine thiolation and hydroxylation modifications in eukaryotic RNA. The chemical derivatization strategy enables the addition of easily ionizable groups to the uridine thiolation and hydroxylation modifications, leading up to a 339-fold increase in detection sensitivities of these modifications by mass spectrometry analysis. The limits of detection of these uridine modifications can be down to 17 amol. With the established method, we discovered and confirmed that a new modification of 5-hydroxyuridine (ho⁵U) was widely present in small RNAs of mammalian cells, expanding the diversity of RNA modifications. The developed method shows superior capability in determining low-abundance RNA modifications and may promote identifying new modifications in RNA, which should be valuable in uncovering the unknown functions of RNA modifications.

Hybridization and Mismatch Discrimination Abilities of 2',4'-Bridged Nucleic Acids Bearing 2-Thiothymine or 2-Selenothymine Nucleobase

Oligonucleotides modified with 2'- O,4'- C-spirocyclopropylene-bridged nucleic acid (scpBNA) exhibit excellent duplex-forming ability with their complementary single-stranded RNA (ssRNA). Here, we demonstrate that scpBNA bearing a 2-thiothymine (scpBNA-S²T) or 2-selenothymine (scpBNA-Se²T) nucleobase provides robust mismatch discrimination capabilities to oligonucleotides without compromising their high binding affinities toward the full complementary ssRNA. X-ray crystallographic analysis of a self-assembling oligonucleotide featuring 2',4'-BNA/LNA-2-thiothymine (2',4'-BNA/LNA-S²T, where 2',4'-BNA and LNA stand for "2'- O,4'- C-methylene-bridged nucleic acid" and "locked nucleic acid", respectively), a prototype of scpBNA-S²T, revealed that the 2-thiocarbonyl moiety plays a crucial role in the destabilization of thymine-guanine mismatched wobble base pairs.

Synthesis of 2'-O-(N-methylcarbamoylethyl) 5-methyl-2-thiouridine and its application to splice-switching oligonucleotides

The effect of 2'-O-(N-methylcarbamoyl)ethyl (MCE) modification on splice-switching oligonucleotides (SSO) was systematically evaluated. The incorporation of five MCE nucleotides at the 5'-termini of SSOs effectively improved the splice switching effect. In addition, the incorporation of 2'-O-(N-methylcarbamoylethyl)-5-methyl-2-thiouridine (s²T_MCE), a duplex-stabilizing nucleotide with an MCE modification, into SSOs further improved splice switching. These SSOs may be useful for the treatment of genetic diseases associated with splicing errors.

C5-substituents of uridines and 2-thiouridines present at the wobble position of tRNA determine the formation of their keto-enol or zwitterionic forms - a factor important for accuracy of reading of guanosine at the 3΄-end of the mRNA codons

Modified nucleosides present in the wobble position of the tRNA anticodons regulate protein translation through tuning the reading of mRNA codons. Among 40 of such nucleosides, there are modified uridines containing either a sulfur atom at the C2 position and/or a substituent at the C5 position of the nucleobase ring. It is already evidenced that tRNAs with 2-thiouridines at the wobble position preferentially read NNA codons, while the reading mode of the NNG codons by R5U/R5S2U-containing anticodons is still elusive. For a series of 18 modified uridines and 2-thiouridines, we determined the pKa values and demonstrated that both modifying elements alter the electron density of the uracil ring and modulate the acidity of their N3H proton. In aqueous solutions at physiological pH the 2-thiouridines containing aminoalkyl C5-substituents are ionized in ca. 50%. The results, confirmed also by theoretical calculations, indicate that the preferential binding of the modified units bearing non-ionizable 5-substituents to guanosine in the NNG codons may obey the alternative C-G-like (Watson–Crick) mode, while binding of those bearing aminoalkyl C5-substituents (protonated under physiological conditions) and especially those with a sulfur atom at the C2 position, adopt a zwitterionic form and interact with guanosine via a ‘new wobble’ pattern.

Biosynthesis of Sulfur-Containing tRNA Modifications: A Comparison of Bacterial, Archaeal, and Eukaryotic Pathways

Post-translational tRNA modifications have very broad diversity and are present in all domains of life. They are important for proper tRNA functions. In this review, we emphasize the recent advances on the biosynthesis of sulfur-containing tRNA nucleosides including the 2-thiouridine (s²U) derivatives, 4-thiouridine (s⁴U), 2-thiocytidine (s²C), and 2-methylthioadenosine (ms²A). Their biosynthetic pathways have two major types depending on the requirement of iron–sulfur (Fe–S) clusters. In all cases, the first step in bacteria and eukaryotes is to activate the sulfur atom of free l-cysteine by cysteine desulfurases, generating a persulfide (R-S-SH) group. In some archaea, a cysteine desulfurase is missing. The following steps of the bacterial s²U and s⁴U formation are Fe–S cluster independent, and the activated sulfur is transferred by persulfide-carrier proteins. By contrast, the biosynthesis of bacterial s²C and ms²A require Fe–S cluster dependent enzymes. A recent study shows that the archaeal s⁴U synthetase (ThiI) and the eukaryotic cytosolic 2-thiouridine synthetase (Ncs6) are Fe–S enzymes; this expands the role of Fe–S enzymes in tRNA thiolation to the Archaea and Eukarya domains. The detailed reaction mechanisms of Fe–S cluster depend s²U and s⁴U formation await further investigations.

Nucleoside modifications in the regulation of gene expression: focus on tRNA

Both, DNA and RNA nucleoside modifications contribute to the complex multi-level regulation of gene expression. Modified bases in tRNAs modulate protein translation rates in a highly dynamic manner. Synonymous codons, which differ by the third nucleoside in the triplet but code for the same amino acid, may be utilized at different rates according to codon-anticodon affinity. Nucleoside modifications in the tRNA anticodon loop can favor the interaction with selected codons by stabilizing specific base pairs. Similarly, weakening of base pairing can discriminate against binding to near-cognate codons. mRNAs enriched in favored codons are translated in higher rates constituting a fine-tuning mechanism for protein synthesis. This so-called codon bias establishes a basic protein level, but sometimes it is necessary to further adjust the production rate of a particular protein to actual requirements, brought by, e.g., stages in circadian rhythms, cell cycle progression or exposure to stress. Such an adjustment is realized by the dynamic change of tRNA modifications resulting in the preferential translation of mRNAs coding for example for stress proteins to facilitate cell survival. Furthermore, tRNAs contribute in an entirely different way to another, less specific stress response consisting in modification-dependent tRNA cleavage that contributes to the general down-regulation of protein synthesis. In this review, we summarize control functions of nucleoside modifications in gene regulation with a focus on recent findings on protein synthesis control by tRNA base modifications.

Thermodynamic insights into 2-thiouridine-enhanced RNA hybridization

Nucleobase modifications dramatically alter nucleic acid structure and thermodynamics. 2-thiouridine (s(2)U) is a modified nucleobase found in tRNAs and known to stabilize U:A base pairs and destabilize U:G wobble pairs. The recently reported crystal structures of s(2)U-containing RNA duplexes do not entirely explain the mechanisms responsible for the stabilizing effect of s(2)U or whether this effect is entropic or enthalpic in origin. We present here thermodynamic evaluations of duplex formation using ITC and UV thermal denaturation with RNA duplexes containing internal s(2)U:A and s(2)U:U pairs and their native counterparts. These results indicate that s(2)U stabilizes both duplexes. The stabilizing effect is entropic in origin and likely results from the s(2)U-induced preorganization of the single-stranded RNA prior to hybridization. The same preorganizing effect is likely responsible for structurally resolving the s(2)U:U pair-containing duplex into a single conformation with a well-defined H-bond geometry. We also evaluate the effect of s(2)U on single strand conformation using UV- and CD-monitored thermal denaturation and on nucleoside conformation using (1)H NMR spectroscopy, MD and umbrella sampling. These results provide insights into the effects that nucleobase modification has on RNA structure and thermodynamics and inform efforts toward improving both ribozyme-catalyzed and nonenzymatic RNA copying.

2-Thiouracil deprived of thiocarbonyl function preferentially base pairs with guanine rather than adenine in RNA and DNA duplexes

2-Thiouracil-containing nucleosides are essential modified units of natural and synthetic nucleic acids. In particular, the 5-substituted-2-thiouridines (S2Us) present in tRNA play an important role in tuning the translation process through codon-anticodon interactions. The enhanced thermodynamic stability of S2U-containing RNA duplexes and the preferred S2U-A versus S2U-G base pairing are appreciated characteristics of S2U-modified molecular probes. Recently, we have demonstrated that 2-thiouridine (alone or within an RNA chain) is predominantly transformed under oxidative stress conditions to 4-pyrimidinone riboside (H2U) and not to uridine. Due to the important biological functions and various biotechnological applications for sulfur-containing nucleic acids, we compared the thermodynamic stabilities of duplexes containing desulfured products with those of 2-thiouracil-modified RNA and DNA duplexes. Differential scanning calorimetry experiments and theoretical calculations demonstrate that upon 2-thiouracil desulfuration to 4-pyrimidinone, the preferred base pairing of S2U with adenosine is lost, with preferred base pairing with guanosine observed instead. Therefore, biological processes and in vitro assays in which oxidative desulfuration of 2-thiouracil-containing components occurs may be altered. Moreover, we propose that the H2U-G base pair is a suitable model for investigation of the preferred recognition of 3'-G-ending versus A-ending codons by tRNA wobble nucleosides, which may adopt a 4-pyrimidinone-type structural motif.

Enhancement of exon skipping in mdx52 mice by 2′-O-methyl-2-thioribothymidine incorporation into phosphorothioate oligonucleotides

Incorporation of 2′-O-methyl-2-thioribothymidine (s²T_m) into antisense oligoribonucleotides significantly enhanced the exon skipping activity in Duchenne muscular dystrophy model mice.

Prediction of the stability of modified RNA duplexes based on deformability analysis: oligoribonucleotide derivatives modified with 2'-O-cyanoethyl-5-propynyl-2-thiouridine as a promising component

We describe a method to predict the stability of a modified RNA duplex. Ten unique modified RNA duplexes showed a linear relationship between the calculated and experimentally determined duplex stabilities.

Nucleosides 7(9): synthesis, structure, and biological activity of new 6-arylidenamino-2-thio- and 2-benzylthiopyrimidine N-nucleosides

The condensation of 6-amino-2-thioxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrimidine-4-one [compound (1)] with aromatic aldehydes (2) afforded azomethine derivatives (3). The formed azomethines underwent glycosidation with α-acetobromoglucose (4) to form the corresponding pyrimidine N-glycosides (6) and not S-glycosides (5). The interaction of (3) with 1-O-acetyl-2, 3, 5-tri-O-benzoyl-β-D-ribofuranose (8) afforded the corresponding pyrimidine N-riboside (10) and not S-riboside (9). Deacetylation and debenzoylation of each of (6) and (10) by using methanolic sodium methoxide afforded the corresponding free N-nucleosides (7) and (11), respectively. Next, the reaction of 2-benzylthio-6-benzylidenaminouracil (13) with (4) and (8) did not yield the corresponding protected N-nucleosides (14) and (17), whereas it afforded (15) and (18), respectively. The latter compounds (15) and (18) were stirred in methanolic sodium methoxide to yield the corresponding free N-nucleosides (16) and (19), respectively. The structures of products have been elucidated and reported and also some of the products were screened for their antimicrobial activity. Graphical Abstract:

tRNA structural and functional changes induced by oxidative stress

Oxidatively damaged biomolecules impair cellular functions and contribute to the pathology of a variety of diseases. RNA is also attacked by reactive oxygen species, and oxidized RNA is increasingly recognized as an important contributor to neurodegenerative complications in humans. Recently, evidence has accumulated supporting the notion that tRNA is involved in cellular responses to various stress conditions. This review focuses on the intriguing consequences of oxidative modification of tRNA at the structural and functional level.

Desulfurization of 2-thiouracil nucleosides: conformational studies of 4-pyrimidinone nucleosides

4-Pyrimidinone ribofuranoside (H(2)o(4)U) and 4-pyrimidinone 2'-deoxyribofuranoside (dH(2)o(4)U) were synthesized by the oxidative desulfurization of parent 2-thiouracil nucleosides with m-chloroperbenzoic acid. The crystal structures of H(2)o(4)U and dH(2)o(4)U and their conformations in solution were determined and compared with corresponding 2-thiouracil and uracil nucleosides. The absence of a large 2-thiocarbonyl/2-carbonyl group in the nucleobase moiety results in C2'-endo puckering of the ribofuranose ring (S conformer) in the crystal structure of H(2)o(4)U, which is not typical of RNA nucleosides. Interestingly, the hydrogen bonding network in the crystals of dH(2)o(4)U stabilizes the sugar moiety conformation in the C3'-endo form (N conformer), rarely found in DNA nucleosides. In aqueous solution, dH(2)o(4)U reveals a similar population of the C2'-endo conformation (65%) to that of 2'-deoxy-2-thiouridine (62%), while the 62% population of the S conformer for H(2)o(4)U is significantly different from that of the parent 2-thiouridine, for which the N conformer is dominant (71%). Such a difference may be of biological importance, as the desulfurization process of natural tRNA 2-thiouridines may occur under conditions of oxidative stress in the cell and may influence the decoding process.

Synthesis and hybridization properties of 2'-O-methylated oligoribonucleotides incorporating 2'-O-naphthyluridines

2'-O-(1-Naphthyl)uridine and 2'-O-(2-naphthyl)uridine were synthesized by a microwave-mediated reaction of 2,2'-anhydrouridine with naphthols. Using the 3'-phosphoramidite building blocks, these 2'-O-aryluridine derivatives were incorporated into 2'-O-methylated oligoribonucleotides. Incorporation of five 2'-O-(2-naphthyl)uridines into a 2'-O-methylated RNA sense strand significantly increased the thermostability of the duplex with a 2'-O-methylated RNA antisense strand. Circular dichroism spectroscopy and molecular dynamic simulation of the duplexes formed between the modified RNAs and 2'-O-methyl RNAs suggested that there are π-π interactions between two neighboring naphthyl groups in a sequence of the five consecutively modified nucleosides.

Activity of siRNAs with 2-thio-2'-O-methyluridine modification in mammalian cells

In a search to identify chemical modifications to improve the properties of siRNA, we have investigated the effect of the 2 '-O-methyl-2-thiouridine modification on the biological activity of siRNA. Our results indicate that judicious placement of 2 '-O-methyl-2-thiouridine residues could lead to modified siRNA with activity in mammalian cells.

Chemical synthesis of LNA-2-thiouridine and its influence on stability and selectivity of oligonucleotide binding to RNA

Hybridization to RNA is important for many applications, including antisense therapeutics, RNA interference, and microarray screening. Similar thermodynamic stabilities of A-U and G-U base pairs result in difficulties in selective binding to RNA. Moreover, A-U pairs are weaker than G-C pairs so that binding is sometimes weak when many A-U pairs are present. It is known, however, that replacement of uridine with 2-thiouridine significantly improves binding and selectivity. To test for additional improvement of binding and of the specificity for binding A over G, LNA-2-thiouridine was synthesized for the first time and incorporated into many LNA-2'-O-methyl-RNA/RNA duplexes. UV melting was used to measure the thermodynamic effect of replacing 2'-O-methyluridine with 2'-O-methyl-2-thiouridine or LNA-2-thiouridine. The 2-thiouridine usually enhances binding and selectivity. Selectivity is optimized when a single 2-thiouridine is placed at an internal position in a duplex.

Preparation of short interfering RNA containing the modified nucleosides 2-thiouridine, pseudouridine, or dihydrouridine

Modified uridine derivatives such as 2-thiouridine (s(2)U), pseudouridine (Psi), and dihydrouridine (D) are naturally existing nucleoside units identified in tRNA molecules. Recently, we have shown that such base-modified units introduced into functionally important sites of siRNA modulate thermodynamic stability of the duplex and its gene silencing activity. In this unit, we describe chemical synthesis of 3'-phosphoramidite derivatives of s(2)U and D units (the 3'-phosphoramidite derivative of Psi is commercially available), and their use for the synthesis of RNA oligonucleotides according to the routine phosphoramidite protocol. The only exception concerns the oxidation step with I(2)/pyridine/water which, if applied towards oligonucleotides containing s(2)U units, would lead to the loss of sulfur. Therefore, to avoid this side reaction, tert-butyl hydroperoxide is used as an oxidizing reagent. After the oligonucleotide chain assembly is completed, the resulting oligomer is deprotected under mild basic conditions (MeNH(2)/EtOH/DMSO) to avoid dihydrouracil ring opening, which is a reported side-reaction during the routine synthesis of dihydrouridine-containing RNA. Oligonucleotides modified with s(2)U, D, or Psi units are useful models for structure-function studies. Here, the procedure for preparation of siRNA duplexes is described.

Synthesis of oligodeoxynucleotides incorporating 2-N-carbamoylguanine and evaluation of the hybridization properties

Previously, we reported 2-N-carbamoylguanine (cmG) as a guanine analog. We further studied the synthetic protocol and hybridization properties of oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) incorporating cmG. These ODNs were synthesized using the phosphoramidite of cmG without protection of the 6-O position. However, the isolated products were contaminated with deacylated products having guanine in place of cmG. The detailed analysis of the synthetic process suggested that the deacylation resulted from the reaction of the carbamoyl moiety with capping reagents. Protection of the 6-O position suppressed the side reaction. The thermal stability of the DNA duplexes incorporating cmG was analyzed. An analysis of T(m) values revealed that the base discrimination ability of cmG was comparable to or higher than that of the canonical guanine depending on the flanking bases.

Study of the base discrimination ability of DNA and 2'-O-methylated RNA oligomers containing 2-thiouracil bases towards complementary RNA or DNA strands and their application to single base mismatch detection

Precise detection of target DNA and RNA sequences using chemically modified oligonucleotides is of crucial importance in gene analysis and gene silence. The hybridisation and base discrimination abilities of oligonucleotides containing 2'-O-methyl-2-thiouridine (s(2)Um) in homo- and hetero-duplexes composed of DNA and RNA strands have been studied in detail. When s(2)Um was incorporated into RNA or DNA strands, the hybridisation and base discrimination abilities of the modified RNA or DNA oligomers towards the complementary RNA strands were superior to those of the corresponding unmodified oligomers. On the other hand, their base discrimination abilities towards complementary DNA strands were almost the same as those of the unmodified ones. The base discrimination abilities of 2-thiouracil base-containing oligonucleotide probes on slide glass plates were also studied. These modified probes exhibited efficient detection of mismatched base pairing.

Efficient synthesis of functionalized oligodeoxyribonucleotides with base-labile groups using a new silyl linker

In this study, we developed new 3'-terminal deoxyribonucleoside-loading reagents 1 with a new silyl-type linker. These reagents could increase the efficiency of introduction of 3'-terminal deoxyribonucleoside components into polymer supports to a level of 17-29micromol/g. The efficiency was higher than that of previous T-loading reagents because reagents 1 contain a 4-aminobutyryl residue as a spacer. Moreover, we could synthesize not only unmodified DNA oligomers but also a base-labile modified DNA oligomer using resins 9a-d in the activated phosphite method without base protection.

An effective method for the in situ synthesis of DNA-CPG conjugates using chemical ligation technology as tools for SNP analysis

In this paper, we report a new method for the SNP analysis by using a chemical ligation (CL) technique on CPG plates with high coupling efficiency. This method showed markedly high match/mismatch discrimination ability. Particularly, replacement of thymidine with 2-thiothymidine in DNA probes used in the CL technology resulted in significant improvement of the base discrimination ability of the thymine base in this system.

Effect of base modifications on structure, thermodynamic stability, and gene silencing activity of short interfering RNA

A series of nucleobase-modified siRNA duplexes containing "rare" nucleosides, 2-thiouridine (s(2)U), pseudouridine (Psi), and dihydrouridine (D), were evaluated for their thermodynamic stability and gene silencing activity. The duplexes with modified units at terminal positions exhibited similar stability as the nonmodified reference. Introduction of the s(2)U or Psi units into the central part of the antisense strand resulted in duplexes with higher melting temperatures (Tm). In contrary, D unit similarly like wobble base pair led to the less stable duplexes (DeltaTm 3.9 and 6.6 degrees C, respectively). Gene-silencing activity of siRNA duplexes directed toward enhanced green fluorescent protein or beta-site APP cleaving enzyme was tested in a dual fluorescence assay. The duplexes with s(2)U and Psi units at their 3'-ends and with a D unit at their 5'-ends (with respect to the guide strands) were the most potent gene expression inhibitors. Duplexes with s(2)U and Psi units at their 5'-ends were by 50% less active than the nonmodified counterpart. Those containing a D unit or wobble base pair in the central domain had the lowest Tm, disturbed the A-type helical structure, and had more than three times lower activity than their nonmodified congener. Activity of siRNA containing the wobble base pair could be rescued by placing the thio-nucleoside at the position 3'-adjacent to the mutation site. Thermally stable siRNA molecules containing several s(2)U units in the antisense strand were biologically as potent as their native counterparts. The present results provide a new chemical tool for modulation of siRNA gene-silencing activity.

A chemical synthesis of LNA-2,6-diaminopurine riboside, and the influence of 2'-O-methyl-2,6-diaminopurine and LNA-2,6-diaminopurine ribosides on the thermodynamic properties of 2'-O-methyl RNA/RNA heteroduplexes

Modified nucleotides are useful tools to study the structures, biological functions and chemical and thermodynamic stabilities of nucleic acids. Derivatives of 2,6-diaminopurine riboside (D) are one type of modified nucleotide. The presence of an additional amino group at position 2 relative to adenine results in formation of a third hydrogen bond when interacting with uridine. New method for chemical synthesis of protected 3'-O-phosphoramidite of LNA-2,6-diaminopurine riboside is described. The derivatives of 2'-O-methyl-2,6-diaminopurine and LNA-2,6-diaminopurine ribosides were used to prepare complete 2'-O-methyl RNA and LNA-2'-O-methyl RNA chimeric oligonucleotides to pair with RNA oligonucleotides. Thermodynamic stabilities of these duplexes demonstrated that replacement of a single internal 2'-O-methyladenosine with 2'-O-methyl-2,6-diaminopurine riboside (D(M)) or LNA-2,6-diaminopurine riboside (D(L)) increases the thermodynamic stability (DeltaDeltaG degrees 37) on average by 0.9 and 2.3 kcal/mol, respectively. Moreover, the results fit a nearest neighbor model for predicting duplex stability at 37 degrees C. D-A and D-G but not D-C mismatches formed by D(M) or D(L) generally destabilize 2'-O-methyl RNA/RNA and LNA-2'-O-methyl RNA/RNA duplexes relative to the same type of mismatches formed by 2'-O-methyladenosine and LNA-adenosine, respectively. The enhanced thermodynamic stability of fully complementary duplexes and decreased thermodynamic stability of some mismatched duplexes are useful for many RNA studies, including those involving microarrays.

Synthesis of 2'-O-methyl-RNAs incorporating a 3-deazaguanine, and UV melting and computational studies on its hybridization properties

2′-O-Methyl-RNAs incorporating 3-deazaguanine (c³G) were synthesized by use of N,N-diphenylcarbamoyl and N,N-dimethylaminomethylene as its base protecting groups to suppress sheared-type 5′-GA-3′/5′-GA-3′ tandem mismatched base pairing which requires the N³ atom. These modified RNAs hybridized more weakly with the complementary and single mismatch-containing RNAs than the unmodified RNAs. The T_m experiments were performed to clarify the effects of replacement of the fifth G with c³G on stabilization of 2′-O-methyl-(5′-CGGCGAGGAG-3′)/5′-CUCCGAGCCG-3′ and 2′-O-methyl-(5′-CGGGGACGAG-3′)/5′-CUCGGACCCG-3′duplexes, which form sheared-type and face-to-face type 5′-GA-3′/5′-GA-3′ tandem mismatched base pairs, respectively. Consequently, this replacement led to more pronounced destabilization of the former duplex that needs the N³ atom for the sheared-type base pair than the latter that does not need it for the face-to-face type base pair. A similar tendency was observed for 2′-O-methyl-RNA/DNA duplexes. These results suggest that the N³ atom of G plays an important role in stabilization of the canonical G/C base pair as well as the base discrimination and its loss suppressed formation of the undesired sheared-type mismatched base pair. Computational studies based on ab initio calculations suggest that the weaker hydrogen bonding ability and larger dipole moment of c³G can be the origin of the lower T_m.

Triplex forming ability of oligonucleotides containing 2'-O-methyl-2-thiouridine or 2-thiothymidine

The triplex forming ability of oligonucleotides containing 2'-O-methyl-2-thiouridine (s2Um) and 2-thiothymidine (s2T) was studied. The UV melting experiments revealed that triplex forming oligonucleotides (TFOs) containing both s2Um or s2T stabilized significantly parallel triplexes. The main reason for stabilization of triplexes was due to the stacking effect of the 2-thiocarbonyl group. Moreover, it turned out that these modified TFOs had a high selectivity in recognition of a matched Hoogsteen base from a mismatched one.

Stabilizing contributions of sulfur-modified nucleotides: crystal structure of a DNA duplex with 2'-O-[2-(methoxy)ethyl]-2-thiothymidines

Substitution of oxygen atoms by sulfur at various locations in the nucleic acid framework has led to analogs such as the DNA phosphorothioates and 4′-thio RNA. The phosphorothioates are excellent mimics of DNA, exhibit increased resistance to nuclease degradation compared with the natural counterpart, and have been widely used as first-generation antisense nucleic acid analogs for applications in vitro and in vivo. The 4′-thio RNA analog exhibits significantly enhanced RNA affinity compared with RNA, and shows potential for incorporation into siRNAs. 2-Thiouridine (s²U) and 5-methyl-2-thiouridine (m⁵s²U) are natural nucleotide analogs. s²U in tRNA confers greater specificity of codon–anticodon interactions by discriminating more strongly between A and G compared with U. 2-Thio modification preorganizes the ribose and 2′-deoxyribose sugars for a C3′-endo conformation, and stabilizes heteroduplexes composed of modified DNA and complementary RNA. Combination of the 2-thio and sugar 2′-O-modifications has been demonstrated to boost both thermodynamic stability and nuclease resistance. Using the 2′-O-[2-(methoxy)ethyl]-2-thiothymidine (m⁵s²Umoe) analog, we have investigated the consequences of the replacement of the 2-oxygen by sulfur for base-pair geometry and duplex conformation. The crystal structure of the A-form DNA duplex with sequence GCGTAT*ACGC (T* = m⁵s²Umoe) was determined at high resolution and compared with the structure of the corresponding duplex with T* = m⁵Umoe. Notable changes as a result of the incorporation of sulfur concern the base-pair parameter ‘opening’, an improvement of stacking in the vicinity of modified nucleotides as measured by base overlap, and a van der Waals interaction between sulfur atoms from adjacent m⁵s²Umoe residues in the minor groove. The structural data indicate only minor adjustments in the water structure as a result of the presence of sulfur. The observed small structural perturbations combined with the favorable consequences for pairing stability and nuclease resistance (when combined with 2′-O-modification) render 2-thiouracil-modified RNA a promising candidate for applications in RNAi.

A new route to 2'-O-alkyl-2-thiouridine derivatives via 4-O-protection of the uracil base and hybridization properties of oligonucleotides incorporating these modified nucleoside derivatives

Oligonucleotides containing 2-thiouridine (s2U) in place of uridine form stable RNA duplexes with complementary RNAs. Particularly, this modified nucleoside has proved to recognize highly selectively adenosine, the genuine partner, without formation of a mismatched base pair with the guanosine counterpart. In this paper, we describe new methods for the synthesis of 2-thiouridine and various 2'-O-alkyl-2-thiouridine derivatives. Oligoribonucleotides having these modified nucleoside derivatives were synthesized, and their hybridization and structural properties were studied in detail by the 1H NMR analysis of these modified nucleosides and Tm experiments of RNA duplexes with their complementary RNA strands.

2'-modified-2-thiothymidine oligonucleotides

[reaction: see text] Oligonucleotides with novel modifications, 2'-O-[2-(methoxy)ethyl]-2-thiothymidine and 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-2-thiothymidine, have been synthesized. These modified oligonucleotides exhibited very high thermal stability when hybridized with complementary RNA. 2-O-(2-Methoxy)ethyl-2-thiothymidine modified oligonucleotide phosphodiesters showed enhanced resistance toward nucleases (t(1/2) > 24 h), but 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-2-thiothymidine modified oligonucleotide phosphodiesters showed limited stability to nucleotytic degradation.