Provides practical guidance on the synthesis and chemical modification of oligonucleotides. These molecules have a wide variety of experimental uses, including use as potential therapeutics and in non-radioactive probing for the study of DNA-DNA and DNA-protein interactions.

Interest in oligonucleotide synthesis has expanded dramatically since the publication of M.Gait's book in this series in 1984. The process has been automated, new reagents have been developed, and the range of uses for the compounds produced has increased and continues to grow. This volume provides practical guidance on oligonucleotide synthesis and methods for introducing modifications into these molecules. Techniques for automated synthesis are covered in two chapters on the production of oligodeoxynucleotides and oligoribonucleotides. Synthesis of modified oligodeoxynucleotides is also detailed, including modification of the phosphate backbone to produce phosphorothioates, phosphorodithioates and methyl phosphonates, all of which are of considerable importance due to their potential therapeutic applications. Other chapters describe production of sugar-modified oligodeoxynucleotides and the attachment of various reporter groups; these techniques are useful to those interested in non-radioactive probes for hybridization and for the study of DNA-DNA and DNA-protein interactions. This book should be of interest to academic and industrial researchers, enabling both chemists and non-chemists to synthesize oligonucleotides and analogues for a wide variety of experimental purposes.