Nucleoside Analogues that Mimic Water in the Minor Groove

Abstract

Hydration in the minor groove of B-form DNA influences the stability and conformation of duplex DNA. An analogue nucleoside that attempts to mimic the N3-hydrated adenine was designed and synthesized. Obtaining the modified adenine was a significant synthetic effort. The attempted incorporation of the new analogue in a DNA strand yielded inconclusive results, and further tests are ongoing. The incorporation of the new modified purine in a DNA duplex may be useful for a better understanding of the hydration of B-form DNA.