Divergent solid-phase synthesis of nucleic acid dendrimers

A divergent or "starburst" approach for the construction of branched nucleic acids mimicking naturally occuring lariat and forked introns is described. Chain assembly takes place on the surface of controlled-pore glass solid support in the unconventional 5' to 3' direction. The branch junctures were introduced by use of N-6-benzoyl-2',3'-O-bis(dimethoxytrityl)adenosine-5'-O-(N,N-diisopropyl)-beta-cyanoethylphosphoramidite. Various dendrimers were prepared in comparable or better yields relative to the convergent approach. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.