"Fleximers". Design and synthesis of two novel split nucleosides

Area of Science:

• Medicinal Chemistry
• Molecular Biology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Nucleosides are fundamental building blocks of nucleic acids.
• The rigid structure of natural nucleosides can limit their utility in certain biological studies.
• Enzyme-coenzyme binding sites and nucleic acid/protein interactions are crucial biological processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a new class of shape-modified nucleosides.
• To design and synthesize novel nucleoside analogs with enhanced flexibility.
• To explore the potential applications of these modified nucleosides as bioprobes.

Main Methods:

• Chemical modification of natural nucleosides (adenosine and guanosine).
• Splitting of purine heterobases into imidazole and pyrimidine components.
• Characterization of the synthesized novel compounds.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized a new class of shape-modified nucleosides, termed 'fleximers'.
• These fleximers retain recognition elements while incorporating increased structural flexibility.
• The design allows for modification of the nucleoside shape.

Conclusions:

• The novel fleximers represent a new tool for biochemical and molecular biology research.
• Fleximers are promising bioprobes for investigating enzyme-coenzyme binding sites.
• Potential applications include studying nucleic acid and protein interactions.