New nucleotide pairs for stable DNA triplexes stabilized by stacking interaction.

New nucleotide pairs applicable to formation of DNA triplexes were developed. We designed oligonucleotides incorporating 5-aryl deoxycytidine derivatives (dC5Ars) and cyclic deoxycytidine derivatives, dCPPP and dCPPI, having an expanded aromatic area, as the second strand. As pairing partners, two types of abasic residues (C3: propylene linker, phi: abasic base) were chosen.

Recognition of triplex forming oligodeoxynucleotides incorporating abasic sites by 5-arylcytosine residues in duplex DNAs.

In this paper, we reported our attempt to use a 5arylcytosine (dC(ar)) and the abasic site () as an artificial base pair for DNA triplex. The idea was confirmed by the molecular modeling studied in which the aromatic group of (ph) which protrudes in the major groove was buried into the cleft formed by the residue in the TFO. We synthesized three kinds of dC(ar) and the oligonucleotides incorporating them.