Synthesis and binding affinity of a chiral PNA analogue

The synthesis of a chiral peptide nucleic acid (PNA), which is composed of N-aminoethyl-cis-4-nucleobase-L-proline units, was described. The chiral PNA monomers containing all four nucleobases (A. T, C and G) were steroselectively prepared. The x-ray diffraction data from a single crystal confirmed the configuration of a key intermediate. Binding activity of the oligomers with their complementary DNA targets was also investigated.