Synthesis and properties of a bridged nucleic acid with a perhydro-1,2-oxazin-3-one ring

A novel derivative of 2',4'-bridged nucleic acid, named hydroxamate-bridged nucleic acid (HxNA), containing a six-membered perhydro-1,2-oxazin-3-one ring, was designed and synthesized. The introduction of a carbonyl function along with an N-O linkage in the six-membered bridged structure is the unique structural feature of the novel 2',4'-bridged nucleic acid analogue. The design was carried out to restrict the flexibility of the sugar moiety through the trigonal planarity of carbonyl function, which would improve the properties of the modification. The synthesized monomer was incorporated into oligonucleotides, and their properties were examined. The HxNA-modified oligonucleotides exhibited selectively high affinity toward complementary ssRNA. Furthermore, the nuclease resistance of the HxNA-modified oligonucleotide was found to be higher than that of the corresponding natural and 2',4'-BNA/LNA-modified oligonucleotides. Interestingly, exposure of HxNA modified oligonucleotide to 3'-exonuclease resulted in gradual opening of the bridge, which stopped further digestion. Moreover, ring-opening of only one modification at the 3'-end of the oligonucleotides was observed, even if two or three HxNA modifications were present in the sequence. The results demonstrate the strong potential of the HxNA modification as a switch for the generation of highly nuclease-resistant RNA selective oligonucleotide in situ, which could have potential applications in antisense technology.