title: An extremely stable and orthogonal DNA base pair with a simplified three-carbon backbone.
abstract: A nucleotide C3HQ with a minimal three-carbon backbone displays unprecedented pairing strength and orthogonality in a homopair C3HQ:C3HQ in the presence of one equivalent of Cu2+. The pairing stability in DNA even exceeds the related base pair having the regular 2'-deoxyribose backbone. This discovery of a synergy between an artificial backbone and base-pairing scheme opens new avenues for the economical design of modified oligonucleotides with tailored properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 231 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Lilu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Meggers
mesh_terms: D020029:Base Pairing; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D003855:Deoxyribose / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D009711:Nucleotides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D015125:Oxyquinoline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
chemical_list: D009711:Nucleotides; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D003855:Deoxyribose; D015125:Oxyquinoline; D004247:DNA