Improvements to the Chemical Synthesis of Biologically Active RNA Using 2′-O-Fpmp Chemistry

Abstract The synthetic cycle protocol for the solid phase synthesis of RNA using 5′-O-(DMTr)-2′-O-(Fpmp)-ribonucleoside phosphoramidites is optimised. A simple and reliable two step deprotection procedure is developed to isolate biologically active RNA. It is demonstrated that fully deprotected RNA is completely stable under the deprotection conditions and that it does not undergo internucleotide cleavage and/or migration. Ribozymes and substrate RNAs synthesized using this chemistry were found to be catalytically active.