Nucleic Acids Research, 1983, Vol. 11, No. 17 6107-6120
© 1983
CHEMISTRY |
Poly(2-methylthio-7-deazainosinic acid) hydrophobic stabilization of polynucleotide secondary structure by the 2-methlthio group
Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Paderborn D-4790 Paderborn, FRG
*To whom correspondence should be addressed
Received May 6, 1983. Revised July 13, 1983. Accepted August 8, 1983.
Poly(2-methylthio-7-deazainosinic acid) [poly(ms2c7I)] was enzymatically synthesized by polymerization of 2-methylthio-7-deazainosine 5'-diphosphate with polynucleotide phosphorylase from Micrococcus luteus in high yield. The homopolymer shows much higher thermal stability than its parent polynucleotides poly (7-deazainosinic acid) [poly(c7I)] and poly (I). Its sigmoidal melting curve and pronounced hypochromicity imply a rigid, ordered structure. Poly(ms2c7I), like poly(2-methylthio-inosinic acid) [poly(ms2I)], does not form a complex with poly(C) because of the bulky 2-methylthio substituent. On the other hand, two poly(ms2c7I) strands form very rigid triple strands with poly(A). Different from poly(I) and poly(c7I) the homopolymer poly(ms2c7I) is very stable against cleavage by nuclease S1 and ribonuclease T2 as expected from its rigid secondary structure.