SUBSTITUTED PURINES AND OLIGONUCLEOTIDE CROSS-LINKING

摘要

This invention is directed to novel purine-based compounds for inclusion into oligonucleotides. The compounds of the invention, when incorporated into oligonucleotides are especially useful as "antisense" agents -- agents that are capable of specific hybridization with a nucleotide sequence of an RNA. The compounds of the invention may also be used for cross-linking oligonucleotides. Oligonucleotides are used for a variety of therapeutic and diagnostic purposes, such as treating deseases, regulating gene expression in experimental systems, assaying for RNA and for RNA products through the employment of antisense interactions with such RNA, diagnosing diseases, modulating the production of proteins, and cleaving RNA in site specific fashions. The compounds of the invention include novel heterocyclic bases, nucleosides, and nucleotides. When incorporated into oligonucleotides, the compounds of the invention can be useful for modulating the activity of RNA.