Solid-Phase Synthesis and Hybrization Behavior of Partially 2′/3′-O-Acetylated RNA Oligonucleotides

[Image: see text] Synthesis of partially 2′/3′-O-acetylated oligoribonucleotides has been accomplished by using a 2′/3′-O-acetyl orthogonal protecting group strategy in which non-nucleophilic strong-base (DBU) labile nucleobase protecting groups and a UV-light cleavable linker were used. Strong-base stability of the photolabile linker allowed on-column nucleobase and phosphate deprotection, followed by a mild cleavage of the acetylated oligonucleotides from the solid support with UV light. Two 17nt oligonucleotides, which were synthesized possessing one specific internal 2′- or 3′-acetyl group, were used as synthetic standards in a recent report from this laboratory detailing the prebiotically plausible ligation of RNA oligonucleotides. In order to further investigate the effect of 2′/3′-O-acetyl groups on the stability of RNA duplex structure, two complementary bis-acetylated RNA oligonucleotides were also expediently obtained with the newly developed protocols. UV melting curves of 2′-O-acetylated RNA duplexes showed a consistent ∼3.1 °C decrease in T(m) per 2′-O-acetyl group.