Design and Evaluation of Oligonucleotide Analogues

This article contains a short account of the chemical and biophysical properties of the oligonucleotide analogues bicyclo-DNA, tricyclo-DNA, [3.2.1]-DNA, [3.2.1]amide-DNA and the PNA analogue OPA, recently developed in our laboratory. Emphasis is given to various aspects of conformational restriction as a designer tool for enhancing the performance of oligonucleotide analogues and for exploring the supramolecular chemistry of DNA. A short summary of current problems in the field of DNA triple-helix chemistry as well as contributions from our laboratory in this area concludes this communication.