NUCLEOTIDE COUPLING IN REVERSE MICELLES

Nucleotide coupling was investigated in reverse micelles formed by (cetyl)trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), in hexane/pentan-1-ol. In particular, the coupling of 2'-deoxy-5'-O-methylcytidine 3'-O-phosphate, prepared by phosphoramidite chemistry, with 5'-amino-5'-deoxythymidine was studied in the presence of a H2O-soluble carbodiimide at w(o) = 11 and 22 (w(o) = [H2O]/[CTAB]). The effect of w(o) on the reaction rate was investigated. A solid-phase strategy was developed for the synthesis of 2'-deoxy-5'-O-methyl-cytidyl-(3'-5')-5'-amino-5'-deoxythymidine. The nucleotide coupling yielding the expected product occurred readily in reverse micelles. Nucleotide coupling is thus possible in reverse micelles, and this is discussed in connection with the micellar self-replication program.