Chemical Synthesis of Cap Analogues: P1,P2-Dinucleoside-5′-diphosphates

A procedure was developed for the chemical synthesis of P1,P2-dinucleoside-5′-diphosphates (N1(5′)pp(5′)N2) on a nanomolar scale Reaction conditions for activating purine-5′-monophosphates (pA, pG, and pm7G) by 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole were studied and optimized in respect to solvents and amount of activating reagent used. Various dinucleoside-5′-diphosphates were synthesized in 62-98% yield by incubating activated and non-activated purine-5′-monophosphates. Two unexpected by-products were formed by competition reactions: the imidazolidate of the non-activated nucleotide and the corresponding symmetrically substituted dinucleoside-5′-diphosphate. A mechanism is proposed to explain the observed side reactions.