Uridylic acid oligonucleotides

Imidazolides of adenylic acid (ImpA) or uridylic acid (ImpU) are polycondensed to oligonucleotides by means of Zn2+ ions. 1673 The resulting phosphordiester bond was found to be of the 2, 5 type. In the reaction of nucleoside 5 -phosphoric acid methyl ester with ImpA in the presence of MgC, 2, 5 -dinucleotides are formed six to nine times more frequently than the corresponding 3, 5 compounds. 63 Polycondensations of ImpA in aqueous solution in the presence of various divalent metal ions lead to short oligo-adenylic acids (pA) (n = 1—5) mainly with 2, 5 -intemucleotide linkages. With Pb2+, for example, the total yield of oligomers was as high as 57%. 1683 1693... 

Like all ribonucleases, pancreatic ribonuclease attacks phosphodiester linkages between the 3 and 5 positions of the RNA nucleotide moieties to yield 2, 3 -cyclic phosphate derivatives. The cyclic phosphates are then further hydrolyzed to yield the 3 -phosphate derivatives. The specificity of pancreatic ribonuclease is such that it restricts its activity to the phosphodiester bonds that involve 3, 5 -linkages between a pyrimidine and any other base. Therefore, the product of the ribonucleic acid digestion with ribonuclease contains 3 -pyrimidine mononucleotides and oligonucleotides with a 3 -cytidylic or uridylic mononucleotide. Taka-diastase (Tl) is a ribonuclease that attacks the polynucleotides to yield 3 guanosine mononucleotides and oligonucleotides with a terminal 3 -guanylic acid. 

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