Artificial Biology and Biomimetic Chemistry
The Meggers group has a longstanding interest in designing artificial DNA-inspired duplexes with novel physicochemical properties. We recently succeeded in designing an artificial glycol nucleic acid (GNA) with a structurally much simplified backbone. In fact, the GNA backbone may be the most atom economical solution for a functional nucleic acid backbone. It has just three carbon atoms. That's a world record! Surprisingly, GNA forms duplexes that are thermally far more stable than DNA or RNA duplexes of the same sequence. Also, nucleotides can be synthesized conveniently just by regioselective and stereospecific ring opening of glycidol and this allows to access both enantiomers of GNA. This work has been recently featured in Chemical & Engineering News (Vol. 83, p. 13).
Figure 1. Comparison of the constitutions of DNA, RNA, and Eschenmoser's threofuranosyl nucleic acid (TNA) with our glycol nucleic acid (GNA). Right: GNA duplex modeled by Prof. Jeff Saven's group.
Figure 2. Synthesis of GNA nucleotides with gT as an example.
See our newest JACS communication regarding the X-ray structure of a metallo-GNA duplex!
