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Formacetal Modifications Show Different Effects on RNA and DNA Oligonucleotides

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— 1 min read

Researchers at Northeastern University have prepared and studied DNA and RNA oligonucleotides with formacetal internucleoside linkages between uridine and adenosine nucleosides. Their results, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, reveal that formacetal modifications have distinct effects on the stability of double helical RNA and DNA. While the modification stabilizes RNA by +0.7 degrees C, it destabilizes DNA by -1.6 degrees C per modification. The team's findings suggest that RNA may tolerate nonionic backbone modifications better than DNA, with potential implications for RNA-based gene control strategies.

Key Takeaways:

  • Researchers prepared and studied DNA and RNA oligonucleotides with formacetal internucleoside linkages between uridine and adenosine nucleosides.
  • Formacetal modifications have different effects on the stability of double helical RNA and DNA, stabilizing RNA by +0.7 degrees C and destabilizing DNA by -1.6 degrees C per modification.
  • The formacetal modification has little effect on the hydration of RNA but decreases the hydration of DNA, suggesting that differences in hydration may contribute to the stabilization/destabilization effects.
  • A crystal structure of modified DNA shows that two isolated formacetal linkages fit almost perfectly in an A-type helix (decamer).
  • The researchers suggest that RNA may tolerate nonionic backbone modifications better than DNA, with potential implications for RNA-based gene control strategies.

Statistics:

  • The formacetal modification stabilizes RNA by +0.7 degrees C.
  • The formacetal modification destabilizes DNA by -1.6 degrees C per modification.
  • The modification has little effect on the hydration of RNA, with a hydration decrease of only 0.5 water molecules per decamer in comparison to theoretically calculated values.
  • A crystal structure of modified DNA shows that two isolated formacetal linkages fit almost perfectly in an A-type helix (decamer).

Sources:

  • Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2009;131(41):14932-14937
  • DNA Research
  • NorthEastern University, Dept. of Chemical & Chemical Biology, Boston, MA 02115, USA
  • American Chemical Society, 1155 16th St., NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA

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