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A definition of the scope of aromatic substrates that participate with catharanthine in an Fe(III)-mediated coupling reaction, an examination of the key structural features of catharanthine required for participation in the reaction, and the development of a generalized indole functionalization reaction that bears little structural relationship to catharanthine itself are detailed. In addition to providing insights into the mechanism of the Fe(III)-mediated coupling reaction of catharanthine with vindoline suggesting the reaction conducted in acidic aqueous buffer may be radical mediated, the studies provide new opportunities for the preparation of previously inaccessible vinblastine analogs and define powerful new methodology for the synthesis of indole-containing natural and unnatural products.

An experimental rationalization of the structure type encountered in DNA and RNA by systematically investigating the chemical and physical properties of alternative nucleic acids has identified systems with a variety of sugar-phosphate backbones that are capable of Watson-Crick base pairing and in some cases cross-pairing with the natural nucleic acids. The earliest among the model systems tested to date, (4' --> 6')-linked oligo(2',3'-dideoxy-beta-d-glucopyranosyl)nucleotides or homo-DNA, shows stable self-pairing, but the pairing rules for the four natural bases are not the same as those in DNA. However, a complete interpretation and understanding of the properties of the hexapyranosyl (4' --> 6') family of nucleic acids has been impeded until now by the lack of detailed 3D-structural data. We have determined the crystal structure of a homo-DNA octamer. It reveals a weakly twisted right-handed duplex with a strong inclination between the hexose-phosphate backbones and base-pair axes, and highly irregular values for helical rise and twist at individual base steps. The structure allows a rationalization of the inability of allo-, altro-, and glucopyranosyl-based oligonucleotides to form stable pairing systems.

C-Nucleosidation with cyclic iminium salts occurring under mild reaction conditions and affording C-nucleosides that are isosteric with N-nucleosides of natural purines is shown to be a consistent property of the entire family of 2,6-(oxo or amino)-disubstituted 5,8-diaza-7,9-dicarba-purines.

The title compound, a constitutional isomer of the natural nucleobase 2,6-diaminopurine, undergoes regioselective electrophilic substitutions at carbon C-9.

Endocyclic iminium ions derived from l-4-amino-threose derivatives smoothly react with 2,6-diamino-5,8-diaza-7,9-dicarba-purine to give corresponding C(9)-nucleosides in high yields.

Replacement of adenine by 2,6-diaminopurinetwo nucleobases to be considered equivalent from an etiological point of viewstrongly enhances the stability of TNA/TNA, TNA/RNA, or TNA/DNA duplexes and efficiently accelerates template-directed ligation of TNA ligands.

(3‘NH)- and (2‘NH)-TNA, two isomeric phosphoramidate analogues of TNA (α-threofuranosyl-(3‘→2‘) oligonucleotides), are shown to be efficient Watson−Crick base-pairing systems and to undergo intersystem cross-pairing with TNA, RNA, and DNA.

[formula: see text] The L-alpha-lyxopyranosyl (4'-->3') oligonucleotide system shows cooperative base-pairing in spite of containing only five instead of the usual six covalent bonds per repetitive backbone unit. In contrast, corresponding D-beta-ribofuranosyl (4'-->3') oligonucleotides do not show adenine-thymine pairing under comparable conditions. The difference in pairing behavior relates to the conformation of the two systems' vicinal 3',4'-phosphodiester substituents, which is diaxial in the lyxopyranosyl system and 3'-axial-4'-equatorial in the ribopyranosyl system.