Stable Cyclohexyl–Phenyl Recognition in the Center of a DNA Duplex

Even saturated carbocycles are compatible with Watson-Crick pairing, as shown by the incorporation of phenylcyclohexyl-C-nucleoside pairs into the center of a DNA double helix (see picture). The increase in duplex stability arises from cyclohexyl/phenyl CH/pi interactions. This makes the system an interesting scaffold for studying hydrophobic interactions and allows for the incorporation of additional molecular entities into the double helix.