The 4-[N-methyl-N-(2,2,2-trifluoroacetyl)amino]butyl group as an alternative to the 2-cyanoethyl group for phosphate protection in the synthesis of oligodeoxyribonucleotides

The 4-[N-methyl-N-(2,2,2-trifluoroacetyl)amino]butyl group for phosphate protection in the synthesis of oligodeoxyribonucleotides has been developed to completely prevent nucleobase alkylation by acrylonitrile that could potentially occur upon deprotection of the traditional 2-cyanoethyl phosphate protecting group. The properties of this new phosphate protecting group were evaluated using the model phosphotriester 9. The mechanism of phosphate deprotection was studied by treating 9 with concentrated NH4OH. NMR analysis,of the deprotection reaction demonstrated that cleavage of the N-trifluoroacetyl group is rate-limiting. The resulting phosphotriester intermediate 13 was also shown to undergo rapid cyclodeesterification to produce O,O-diethyl phosphate 15 and N-methylpyrrolidine -16 (Scheme 2). Given the facile removal of the 4-[N-methyl-N-(2,2,2-trifluoroacetyl)amino]butyl phosphate protecting group under mild basic conditions, its utilization in oligonucleotide synthesis began with the preparation of the deoxyribonucleoside phosphoramidites 4a-d (Scheme 3). The coupling efficiency of 4a-d and conventional a-cyanoethyl deoxyribonucleoside phosphoramidites 24a-d was then compared in the solid-phase synthesis of the 20-mer d(ATCCGTAGCTAAGGTCATGC). As previously observed in the deprotection of 9, the 4-[N-methyl,N-(2,2,2-trifluoroacetyl)amino]butyl phosphate protecting groups were easily and completely removed from the oligonucleotide by using either concentrated NH4OH or pressurized ammonia gas. Analysis of the deprotected oligomer by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (Figure 3) indicated that the phosphoramidites 4a-d are as efficient as the 2-cyanoethyl phosphoramidites 24a-d in the synthesis of the 20-mer. Furthermore, following digestion of the crude 20-mer by snake venom phosphodiesterase and bacterial alkaline phosphatase, HPLC analysis showed complete hydrolysis to individual nucleosides and no detectable nucleobase modification. [References: 34]

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