Synthesis of antisense oligonucleotides containing a photocleavable protecting group on a guanine base and their photoinduced duplex formation.

An oligonucleotide containing a photocleavable protecting group at a guanine base was synthesized to induce the duplex formation by photo-irradiation. Alpha-methyl-2-nitropiperonyl (MeNP) group was used for the photocleavable protecting group at O6 position of deoxyguanosine. The oligonucleotide containing MeNP group (MeNP-ODN:5'-dTTCTG(MeNP)TCTGT-3') was synthesized by phosphoramidite method.