IMPROVED CONDITIONS FOR SOLID-PHASE SYNTHESIS OF OLIGONUCLEOTIDES ON PS-PEG COPOLYMERS

Polystyrene-polyethylene glycol (PS-PEG) tentacle polymers with loadings of up to 60 mu mol/g were used for standard oligonucleotide synthesis, As these resins are easy to handle and stable under reaction and cleavage conditions they may be used alternatively to controlled pore glass (CPG) as the most commonly used solid support for oligonucleotide synthesis. However, structural and chemical properties of the PS-PEG resins require modified conditions to guarantee syntheses with high coupling efficiencies. Oligonucleotides (ODN) of various sequences and lengths have successfully been synthesized using HPLC and capillary electrophoresis (CE) for purity control. Additionally, electrospray mass spectrometry (ES-MS) was used for product identification.