The synthesis of 2′-methylseleno adenosine and guanosine 5′-triphosphates

Graphical abstract
Modified nucleoside triphosphates (NTPs) represent powerful building blocks to generate nucleic acids with novel properties by enzymatic synthesis. We have recently demonstrated the access to 2′-SeCH3-uridine and 2′-SeCH3-cytidine derivatized RNAs for applications in RNA crystallography, using the corresponding nucleoside triphosphates and distinct mutants of T7 RNA polymerase. In the present note, we introduce the chemical synthesis of the novel 2′-methylseleno-2′-deoxyadenosine and -guanosine 5′-triphosphates (2′-SeCH3-ATP and 2′-SeCH3-GTP) that represent further candidates for the enzymatic RNA synthesis with engineered RNA polymerases.