Automated DNA Synthesis Research Articles

The Long and Winding Road: On-Demand DNA Synthesis in High Demand

The Long and Winding Road: On-Demand DNA Synthesis in High Demand

Supramolecular Recognition of Phosphodiester-Based Donor and Acceptor Oligomers Forming Gels in Water.

Inspired by automated DNA synthesis, electron-rich dialkoxynaphthalene (DAN) donor and electron-deficient naphthalene-tetracarboxylic diimide (NDI) acceptor phosphodiester-linked homohexamers were synthesized by the phosphoramidite method. Two types of hexamers were prepared, one with only one phosphodiester between the aromatics (i.e., DAN or NDI) and a second with two phosphodiesters around a propanediol between the aromatics, leading to the latter more flexible and more hydrophilic hexamers. The folding properties of these homohexamers alone or mixed together, in water only, were studied by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM imaging revealed that a 1:1 mixture of hexaDAN and hexaNDI formed fibers by charge transfer donor-acceptor recognition leading to a hydrogel after drying. The organization of the resulting structures is strongly dependent on the nature of the complementary partner, leading to the formation of mono- or multilayer hydrogel networks with different compactness.

Efficient Synthesis of DNA Duplexes Containing Reduced Acetaldehyde Interstrand Cross-Links.

DNA interstrand cross-links (ICLs) prevent DNA replication and transcription and can lead to potentially lethal events, such as cancer or bone marrow failure. ICLs are typically repaired by proteins within the Fanconi Anemia (FA) pathway, although the details of the pathway are not fully established. Methods to generate DNA containing ICLs are key to furthering the understanding of DNA cross-link repair. A major route to ICL formation in vivo involves reaction of DNA with acetaldehyde, derived from ethanol metabolism. This reaction forms a three-carbon bridged ICL involving the amino groups of adjacent guanines in opposite strands of a duplex resulting in amino and imino functionalities. A stable reduced form of the ICL has applications in understanding the recognition and repair of these types of adducts. Previous routes to creating DNA duplexes containing these adducts have involved lengthy post-DNA synthesis chemistry followed by reduction of the imine. Here, an efficient and high-yielding approach to the reduced ICL using a novel N2-((R)-4-trifluoroacetamidobutan-2-yl)-2'-deoxyguanosine phosphoramidite is described. Following standard automated DNA synthesis and deprotection, the ICL is formed overnight in over 90% yield upon incubation at room temperature with a complementary oligodeoxyribonucleotide containing 2-fluoro-2'-deoxyinosine. The cross-linked duplex displayed a melting transition 25 °C higher than control sequences. Importantly, we show using the Xenopus egg extract system that an ICL synthesized by this method is repaired by the FA pathway. The simplicity and efficiency of this methodology for preparing reduced acetaldehyde ICLs will facilitate access to these DNA architectures for future studies on cross-link repair.

Synthesis of Phosphorodiamidate Morpholino Oligonucleotides Using Trityl and Fmoc Chemistry in an Automated Oligo Synthesizer.

Phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligonucleotides (PMOs) constitute 3 out of the 11 FDA-approved oligonucleotide-based drugs in the last 6 years. PMOs can effectively silence disease-causing genes and modify splicing. However, PMO synthesis has remained challenging for a variety of reasons: inefficient deprotection and coupling methods and instability of monomers. Here, we report the development of a suitable combination of resin supports, deblocking and coupling reagents for synthesizing PMOs using either trityl or Fmoc-protected chlorophosphoramidate monomers. The synthesized PMOs using both the methods on a solid support have been validated for gene silencing in a zebrafish model. The protocol was successfully transferred into an automated DNA synthesizer to make several sequences of PMOs, demonstrating for the first time the adaptation of regular PMOs in a commercial DNA synthesizer. Moreover, PMOs with longer than 20-mer sequences, including FDA-approved Eteplirsen (30-mer), were achieved in >20% overall yield that is superior to previous reports. Hybridization study shows that PMOs exhibit a higher binding affinity toward complementary DNA relative to the DNA/DNA duplex (>6 °C). Additionally, the introduction of Fmoc chemistry into PMOs opens up the possibility for PMO synthesis in commercial peptide synthesizers for future development.

Synthesis of Substituted Cy5 Phosphoramidite Derivatives and Their Incorporation into Oligonucleotides Using Automated DNA Synthesis.

Cyanine dyes represent a family of organic fluorophores with widespread utility in biological-based applications ranging from real-time PCR probes to protein labeling. One burgeoning use currently being explored with indodicarbocyanine (Cy5) in particular is that of accessing exciton delocalization in designer DNA dye aggregate structures for potential development of light-harvesting devices and room-temperature quantum computers. Tuning the hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of Cy5 dyes in such DNA structures should influence the strength of their excitonic coupling; however, the requisite commercial Cy5 derivatives available for direct incorporation into DNA are nonexistent. Here, we prepare a series of Cy5 derivatives that possess different 5,5′-substituents and detail their incorporation into a set of DNA sequences. In addition to varying dye hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity, the 5,5′-substituents, including hexyloxy, triethyleneglycol monomethyl ether, tert-butyl, and chloro groups were chosen so as to vary the inherent electron-donating/withdrawing character while also tuning their resulting absorption and emission properties. Following the synthesis of parent dyes, one of their pendant alkyl chains was functionalized with a monomethoxytrityl protective group with the remaining hydroxyl-terminated N-propyl linker permitting rapid, same-day phosphoramidite conversion and direct internal DNA incorporation into nascent oligonucleotides with moderate to good yields using a 1 μmole scale automated DNA synthesis. Labeled sequences were cleaved from the controlled pore glass matrix, purified by HPLC, and their photophysical properties were characterized. The DNA-labeled Cy5 derivatives displayed spectroscopic properties that paralleled the parent dyes, with either no change or an increase in fluorescence quantum yield depending upon sequence.

Evaluation of the Base‐Pairing Properties of 5‐(5‐Indolylethynyl) and 5‐(5‐Indolyl)‐2′‐deoxyuridine Modified Triplex and Duplex

AbstractIndole was conjugated to deoxyuridine either directly or via ethynyl linkage to synthesize two new DNA monomers. Due to the high reactivity of indole toward electrophilic substitution reactions, unwanted iodination was observed during the oxidation step with iodine oxidizer in automated DNA synthesizer leading to an additional oligonucleotide having extra 126 mass unit beside the desired oligonucleotide. On the other hand, using CSO oxidizer ensured the formation of the wanted oligonucleotide. Oligonucleotide synthesis was confirmed by MALDI‐TOF‐MS analysis. Polypyrimidine strands containing non‐iodinated indole nucleoside were able to form parallel triplexes, antiparallel RNA and DNA duplexes. The thermal denaturation experiments showed higher triplex stabilization for 5‐(5‐indolylethynyl)‐2′‐deoxyuridine over 5‐(5‐indolyl)‐2′‐deoxyuridine as the triple bond allows twisting to put the indole into a proper position within the triplex encouraging better π‐π stacking.

Modularly Engineered Solid‐Phase Synthesis of Aptamer‐Functionalized Small Molecule Drugs for Targeted Cancer Therapy

AbstractBiomarker‐guided anticancer strategy has evolved into one of the most reliable and efficient cancer treatment techniques. However, most targeted anticancer molecular platforms are constructed in liquid phase with multi‐step synthesis and complex purification. This work describes a general and modular solid‐phase synthesis strategy to engineer novel targeted anticancer therapeutics based on aptamer‐functionalized small molecule drugs (ASMD). Specifically, anticancer agent Combretastatin A4 (CA4) is transformed into a phosphoramidite module, and then is incorporated into aptamer Sgc8c via automated DNA synthesis technique to obtain intracellular phosphatase‐responsive Sgc8c‐CA4 conjugate (SC). In the rational design, SC retains excellent recognition ability and cytotoxicity against its target colorectal cancer cells. SC shows more efficient and safer therapy than CA4 both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the cellular events of SC are systematically visualized when they encounter the target cancer cells. The visualizing mechanism gives a clear picture of the anticancer function of targeted therapeutics against cancer cells. These results may pave the way for utilizing molecularly engineered ASMDs to develop more novel targeted cancer therapeutics for the treatment of different cancer types.

DNA Data Storage: Automated DNA Synthesis and Sequencing Are Key to Unlocking Virtually Unlimited Data Storage

DNA has the capacity to store millions of times more data than today's best technologies but faces several daunting challenges. DNA synthesis and sequencing automation are the gating factor in creating an almost limitless storage media.

Synthesis of Phosphoramidite Monomers Equipped with Complementary Bases for Solid-Phase DNA Oligomerization.

We describe the preparation of two monomers that bear complementary nucleobases at the edges (guanine-2'-deoxycytidine and 2-aminoadenine-2'-deoxyuridine) and that are conveniently protected and activated for solid-phase automated DNA synthesis. We report the optimized synthetic routes leading to the four nucleobase derivatives involved, their cross-coupling reactions into dinucleobase-containing monomers, and their oligomerization in the DNA synthesizer.

Modular Strategy To Expand the Chemical Diversity of DNA and Sequence-Controlled Polymers.

Sequence-defined polymers with customizable sequences, monodispersity, substantial length, and large chemical diversity are of great interest to mimic the efficiency and selectivity of biopolymers. We report an efficient, facile, and scalable synthetic route to introduce many chemical functionalities, such as amino acids and sugars in nucleic acids and sequence-controlled oligophosphodiesters. Through achiral tertiary amine molecules that are perfectly compatible with automated DNA synthesis, readily available amines or azides can be turned into phosphoramidites in two steps only. Individual attachment yields on nucleic acids and artificial oligophosphodiesters using automated solid-phase synthesis (SPS) were >90% in almost all cases. Using this method, multiple water-soluble sequence-defined oligomers bearing a range of functional groups in precise sequences could be synthesized and purified in high yields. The method described herein significantly expands the library of available functionalities for nucleic acids and sequence-controlled polymers.

Direct on-chip DNA synthesis using electrochemically modified gold electrodes as solid support

DNA microarrays have propelled important advancements in the field of genomic research by enabling the monitoring of thousands of genes in parallel. The throughput can be increased even further by scaling down the microarray feature size. In this respect, microelectronics-based DNA arrays are promising as they can leverage semiconductor processing techniques with lithographic resolutions. We propose a method that enables the use of metal electrodes for de novo DNA synthesis without the need for an insulating support. By electrochemically functionalizing gold electrodes, these electrodes can act as solid support for phosphoramidite-based synthesis. The proposed method relies on the electrochemical reduction of diazonium salts, enabling site-specific incorporation of hydroxyl groups onto the metal electrodes. An automated DNA synthesizer was used to couple phosphoramidite moieties directly onto the OH-modified electrodes to obtain the desired oligonucleotide sequence. Characterization was done via cyclic voltammetry and fluorescence microscopy. Our results present a valuable proof-of-concept for the integration of solid-phase DNA synthesis with microelectronics.

Fluorogenic "photoclick" labelling of DNA using a Cy3 dye.

Two 2'-deoxyuridines as new building blocks for automated DNA synthesis carry a small aryltetrazole as "photoclickable" group at their 5-positions. The postsynthetic "photoclick" labeling of such presynthesized DNA using a maleimide-modified Cy3 dye shows an up to 17-fold fluorogenicity due to an energy transfer between the pyrazoline moiety and the Cy3 fluorophore in the DNA products. This concept is also applicable to other maleimide-modified dyes.

Lipid-DNAs as Solubilizers of mTHPC.

Hydrophobic drug candidates require innovative formulation agents. We designed and synthesized lipid‐DNA polymers containing varying numbers of hydrophobic alkyl chains. The hydrophobicity of these amphiphiles is easily tunable by introducing a defined number of alkyl chain‐modified nucleotides during standard solid‐phase synthesis of DNA using an automated DNA synthesizer. We observed that the resulting self‐assembled micelles solubilize the poorly water‐soluble drug, meta‐tetra‐hydroxyphenyl‐chlorin (mTHPC) used in photodynamic therapy (PDT) with high loading concentrations and loading capacities. A cell viability study showed that mTHPC‐loaded micelles exhibit good biocompatibility without irradiation, and high PDT efficacy upon irradiation. Lipid‐DNAs provide a novel class of drug‐delivery vehicle, and hybridization of DNA offers a potentially facile route for further functionalization of the drug‐delivery system with, for instance, targeting or imaging moieties.

New oligodeoxynucleotide derivatives containing N-(methanesulfonyl)-phosphoramidate (mesyl phosphoramidate) internucleotide group

Novel oligonucleotide derivatives containing N-(methanesulfonyl)-phosphoramidate (mesyl phosphoramidate) group have been described. Solid-phase synthesis of these compounds using an automated DNA synthesizer has been performed for the first time, including the Staudinger reaction between methanesulfonyl azide (mesyl azide) and 3′,5′-dinucleoside 2-cyanoethyl phosphite within an oligonucleotide immobilized on the polymer support, which is a product of phosphoramidite coupling. The mesyl phosphoramidate group is stable to the conditions of oligonucleotide synthesis, in particular, during acidic detritylation and subsequent removal of protecting groups and cleavage of an oligonucleotide from the polymer support by concentrated aqueous ammonia or methylamine at 55°C. It has been shown that the stability of complementary duplexes of oligodeoxynucleotides containing the mesyl phosphoramidate group with a single-stranded DNA is not inferior to the stability of native DNA:DNA duplex. Furthermore, mesyl phosphoramidate oligonucleotides are able to form a complementary duplex with RNA, which is only slightly less stable than the equivalent DNA:RNA duplex. This raises the possibility of their application as potential antisense therapeutic agents.

New phosphorylating reagents for deoxyribonucleosides and oligonucleotides

New phosphorylating reagents 1 and 2 were prepared in three steps from 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde. They showed good efficiency in the solid phase synthesis of 5′-phosphate monoester nucleosides. End-phosphate DNA sequence synthesis demonstrated the efficiency of the new reagents (1 and 2) according to the general procedure of automated DNA synthesis. The oxidation of P(III) to P(V) and the removal of benzyl protecting groups were achieved in a single step by treatment with a 0.02M I2/pyridine/H2O solution. Due to this one-pot treatment, it is possible to use the phosphorylating reagents (1 and 2) for the synthesis of base-sensitive ODNs. The reagents 1 and 2 are unique among phosphorylating reagents.

(Invited) DNA As Supramolecular Template for the Assembly of Porphyrin Arrays

DNA has become very attractive as scaffold for functional molecules on the nanometre scale.1 The sequence specific insertion of modified nucleotides using automated DNA synthesis allows for the creation of new designer molecules with a wide range of potential applications. We have established a general synthetic route to porphyrin-nucleosides and their subsequent site specific incorporation into oligonucleotides to create multiporphyrin arrays. Up to eleven consecutive porphyrins could be incorporated into DNA giving access to a multiporphyrin array of approximately 10 nm in length, which corresponds to the highest amount of DNA modification with a large hydrophobic metal complex.2 The spectroscopic data and structure calculations indicate the formation of a stable helical array in the single strand porphyrin-DNA. The π-stack of the porphyrins leads to strong electronic interaction between the chromophores. A zipper array with induced stability and energy transfer properties has recently been realised, providing access to the first reversible photonic wire based on a DNA scaffold.3 We will present our latest results in terms of structure analysis of porphyrin modified DNA, which includes the stepwise built up of a porphyrin-DNA system and its detailed analysis using CD spectroscop and thermal analysis with absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. In addition, a novel LNA derived porphyrin building block will be discussed which shows large differences in excitonic coupling depending on the DNA sequence.4 Several applications of porphyrin-DNA will also be described, including highly sensitive genosensors5 and DNA origami nanopores.6

One-Dimensional Multichromophor Arrays Based on DNA: From Self-Assembly to Light-Harvesting.

Light-harvesting complexes collect light energy and deliver it by a cascade of energy and electron transfer processes to the reaction center where charge separation leads to storage as chemical energy. The design of artificial light-harvesting assemblies faces enormous challenges because several antenna chromophores need to be kept in close proximity but self-quenching needs to be avoided. Double stranded DNA as a supramolecular scaffold plays a promising role due to its characteristic structural properties. Automated DNA synthesis allows incorporation of artificial chromophore-modified building blocks, and sequence design allows precise control of the distances and orientations between the chromophores. The helical twist between the chromophores, which is induced by the DNA framework, controls energy and electron transfer and thereby reduces the self-quenching that is typically observed in chromophore aggregates. This Account summarizes covalently multichromophore-modified DNA and describes how such multichromophore arrays were achieved by Watson-Crick-specific and DNA-templated self-assembly. The covalent DNA systems were prepared by incorporation of chromophores as DNA base substitutions (either as C-nucleosides or with acyclic linkers as substitutes for the 2'-deoxyribofuranoside) and as DNA base modifications. Studies with DNA base substitutions revealed that distances but more importantly relative orientations of the chromophores govern the energy transfer efficiencies and thereby the light-harvesting properties. With DNA base substitutions, duplex stabilization was faced and could be overcome, for instance, by zipper-like placement of the chromophores in both strands. For both principal structural approaches, DNA-based light-harvesting antenna could be realized. The major disadvantages, however, for covalent multichromophore DNA conjugates are the poor yields of synthesis and the solubility issues for oligonucleotides with more than 5-10 chromophore modifications in a row. A logical alternative approach is to leave out the phosphodiester bridges between the chromophores and let chromophore-nucleoside conjugates self-assemble specifically along single stranded DNA as template. The self-organization of chromophores along the DNA template based on canonical base pairing would be advantageous because sequence selective base pairing could provide a structural basis for programmed complexity within the chromophore assembly. The self-assembly is governed by two interactions. The chromophore-nucleoside conjugates as guest molecules are recognized via hydrogen bonds to the corresponding counter bases in the single stranded DNA template. Moreover, the π-π interactions between the stacked chromophores stabilize these self-assembled constructs with increasing length. Longer DNA templates are more attractive for self-assembled antenna. The helicity in the stack of porphyrins as guest molecules assembled on the DNA template can be switched by environmental changes, such as pH variations. DNA-templated stacks of ethynyl pyrene and nile red exhibit left-handed chirality, which stands in contrast to similar covalent multichromophore-DNA conjugates with enforced right-handed helicity. With ethynyl nile red, it is possible to occupy every available binding site on the templates. Mixed assemblies of ethynyl pyrene and nile red show energy transfer and thereby provide a proof-of-principle that simple light-harvesting antennae can be obtained in a noncovalent and self-assembled fashion. With respect to the next important step, chemical storage of the absorbed light energy, future research has to focus on the coupling of sophisticated DNA-based light-harvesting antenna to reaction centers.

Boron Clusters as a Platform for New Materials: Synthesis of Functionalized o‐Carborane (C2B10H12) Derivatives Incorporating DNA Fragments

A synthetic strategy for functionalization of the three vertices of o-carborane and the attachment of the obtained triped to the solid support was developed. Further functionalization of the triped with short DNA sequences by automated DNA synthesis was achieved. The proposed methodology is a first example of boron cluster chemistry on a solid support opening new perspectives in boron cluster functionalization.

Solid- and solution-phase synthesis and application of R6G dual-labeled oligonucleotide probes

A novel N-TFA-protected carboxyrhodamine 6G (R6G) phosphoramidite was synthesized for use in an automated DNA synthesis to prepare 5′-labeled oligonucleotides. Deprotection and purification conditions were optimized for 5′-labeled and dual-labeled oligonucleotide probes. As an alternative we synthesized an azide derivative of R6G for CuAAC post-synthetic oligonucleotide labeling. Dual-labeled probes obtained by both methods showed the same efficacy in a quantitative PCR assay. R6G-labeled probes demonstrated superior properties in a qPCR assay in comparison with alternative HEX, JOE and SIMA dyes due to more efficient fluorescence quenching by BHQ-1. We successfully used R6G dual-labeled probes for rotavirus genotyping.

NAA-modified DNA oligonucleotides with zwitterionic backbones: stereoselective synthesis of A-T phosphoramidite building blocks.

Modifications of the nucleic acid backbone are essential for the development of oligonucleotide-derived bioactive agents. The NAA-modification represents a novel artificial internucleotide linkage which enables the site-specific introduction of positive charges into the otherwise polyanionic backbone of DNA oligonucleotides. Following initial studies with the introduction of the NAA-linkage at T–T sites, it is now envisioned to prepare NAA-modified oligonucleotides bearing the modification at X–T motifs (X = A, C, G). We have therefore developed the efficient and stereoselective synthesis of NAA-linked 'dimeric' A–T phosphoramidite building blocks for automated DNA synthesis. Both the (S)- and the (R)-configured NAA-motifs were constructed with high diastereoselectivities to furnish two different phosphoramidite reagents, which were employed for the solid phase-supported automated synthesis of two NAA-modified DNA oligonucleotides. This represents a significant step to further establish the NAA-linkage as a useful addition to the existing 'toolbox' of backbone modifications for the design of bioactive oligonucleotide analogues.