Identification and location of protecting groups on the nucleotide components of chemically synthesized oligodeoxyribonucleotides by mass spectral analysis

Abstract

A mass spectral method has been devised for the analysis of reaction products containing protecting groups at any stage in the chemical synthesis of oligodeoxyribonucleotides. Mass spectra reveal certain m e values which indicate that a particular protecting group is attached at a specific site on the nucleotide components of the oligonucleotide. The analysis can be eariied out on either the isolated reaction product, or on the silica gel containing the product spot following silica gel chromatography of the reaction mixture. The method is of particular value in determining that all blocking groups have been removed from a defined-sequence oligonucleotide that has been chemically synthesized for use in biological investigations involving sequence or binding studies.