Stepwise Solid‐Phase Synthesis of Nucleopeptides

Synthesis of oligonucleotide-peptide conjugates for biomedical and technological applications

Oligonucleotide-peptide conjugates have attracted considerable interest especially for biomedical uses. In the first part of this chapter, we describe protocols for the stepwise synthesis of oligonucleotides carrying peptide sequences at the 3'-end on a single support. The resulting oligonucleotide-peptide conjugates may be used as exogenous effectors for the specific control of gene expression. In the second part of this chapter, detailed postsynthetic conjugation protocols to introduce peptide sequences into oligonucleotide sequences are also presented.

New developments in the synthesis of oligonucleotide-peptide conjugates

The stability of oligodeoxynucleotides to trifluoroacetic acid is studied. Pyrimidine oligonucleotides were stable in the conditions used for the removal of t-butyl groups. Oligonucleotide-3'-peptide conjugates carrying pyrimidine oligonucleotides are prepared stepwise using peptide-supports and Fmoc, t-butyl strategy. Using this strategy we have prepared an oligonucleotide-peptide conjugate containing as peptide the leucine-rich fragment of FOS, a transcription factor involved in many important cellular processes. This conjugate has a long peptide sequence with a large number of trifunctional amino acids.