Emissive 5-Substituted Uridine Analogues

Chemical biology and medicinal chemistry applications require new nucleoside analogues with well-defined photophysical properties in order to visualize, monitor, and advance the understanding of nucleic acids. To impart favorable photophysical properties upon the native nucleosides and decipher structure–property relationships, robust and flexible synthetic procedures are required. Modification at the 5-position of uridine likely comprises the largest number of chemical variations investigated to enhance and tune the photophysical properties of this practically non-emissive nucleoside. The chapter discusses the design, synthesis, and characterization of diverse emissive uridine analogues.