title: Tandem oligonucleotide synthesis on solid-phase supports for the production of multiple oligonucleotides.
abstract: More than one oligonucleotide can be synthesized at a time by linking multiple oligonucleotides end-to-end in a tandem manner on the surface of a solid-phase support. The 5'-terminal hydroxyl position of one oligonucleotide serves as the starting point for the next oligonucleotide synthesis. The two oligonucleotides are linked via a cleavable 3'-O-hydroquinone-O,O'-diacetic acid linker arm (Q-linker). The Q-linker is rapidly and efficiently coupled to the 5'-OH position of immobilized oligonucleotides using HATU, HBTU, or HCTU in the presence of 1 equiv of DMAP. This protocol avoids introduction of phosphate linkages on either the 3'- or 5'-end of oligonucleotides. A single NH(4)OH cleavage step can simultaneously release the products from the surface of the support and each other to produce free 5'- and 3'-hydroxyl termini. Selective cleavage of one oligonucleotide out of two sequences has also been accomplished via a combination of succinyl and Q-linker linker arms. Tandem synthesis of multiple oligonucleotides is useful for producing sets of primers for PCR, DNA sequencing, and other diagnostic applications as well as double-stranded oligonucleotides. Tandem synthesis of the same sequence multiple times increases the yield of material from any single synthesis column for maximum economy in large-scale synthesis. This method can also be combined with reusable solid-phase supports to further reduce the cost of oligonucleotide production.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, 3350 Hospital Dr. N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1. rtpon@ucalgary.ca
authors.forename: Richard T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Pon
authors.forename: Shuyuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Yogesh S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Sanghvi
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D019075:Electrophoresis, Capillary; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D010710:Phosphates / Q000737:chemistry; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D010710:Phosphates