Chemical Synthesis of Oligoribonucleotides Containing Vicinal 2'-5' and 3'-5' Phosphodiester Linkages

Abstract

A 2'-5', 3'-5'-linked oligoribonucleotide (branched RNA) was discovered by Wallace and Edmonds as important compound being an intrinsic part of eukaryotic RNA splicing. Further progress toward understanding the mechanism of splicing revealed that certain kinds of branched RNAs play significant role as enzymatic catalysts in some biological reactions. On the other hand, immunochemical studies on 2-5 A implied that the analogs having adenylyl (2'-5') adenosine structure are chemotherapeutically attractive compounds which are expected to show new biological activities. Such importance has stimulated the development of effective chemical synthesis to supply large amounts of branched RNAs. This article surveys the methods developed for the synthesis of branched RNAs.