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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Using Modified Synthetic Oligonucleotides to Assay Nucleic Acid-Metabolizing Enzymes
Published on: July 5, 2024
Studies in oligonucleotide-based artificial nuclease systems. intramolecular copper (II) complex formation in an
Dmitri A Ossipov1, Roger Strömberg
1Division of Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry, MBB, Scheele Laboratory, Karolinska Intitutet, S-17177, Sweden.
Abstract:
We have recently developed oligonucleotide based artificial nuclease (OBAN) systems based on 2'-O-methyloligoribonucleotides carrying a 2,9-dimethylphenanthroline x Zn(II) complex. These hybridize to an RNA molecule with bulge formation in the central region of the target and cleave the RNA target in a catalytic manner. When studying an 11-mer 2'-O-methyloligoribonucleotide carrying two 2,9-dimethylphenanthroline moieties, located 5 base pairs apart from each other, we found that this forms a cyclic structure in the presence of Cu2+ ions. This is due to intramolecular Cu(2,9-dimethylphenanthroline)2 complex formation, i.e., with the two ligands conjugated to the same oligonucleotide.
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