Preparation of stilbene-tethered nonnatural nucleosides for use with blue-fluorescent antibodies.

The synthesis of the first examples of stilbene-tethered hydrophobic C-nucleosides is described. Compounds of this type are targeted for use with our recently reported "blue-fluorescent antibodies" with the aim of probing native and nonnatural DNA. The nucleophilic addition of aryl Grignard reagents to either a protected 2'-deoxy-1'-chloro-ribofuranose or a protected 2'-deoxy-ribonolactone was the key synthetic step and afforded C-nucleosides in good yields. Both routes resulted in a final product that was >/=90% of the beta-anomer. Amide- and ether-based linkers for attachment of trans-stilbene to the nucleobase were assessed for utility during synthesis and in binding of the ligands to a blue-fluorescent monoclonal antibody. X-ray structures of each complex were obtained and serve as a guideline for second-generation stilbene-tethered C-nucleosides. The development of these hydrophobic nucleosides will be useful in current native and nonnatural DNA studies and invaluable for investigations regarding novel, nonnatural genomes in the future.

Blue-fluorescent antibodies.

The forte of catalytic antibodies has resided in the control of the ground-state reaction coordinate. A principle and method are now described in which antibodies can direct the outcome of photophysical and photochemical events that take place on excited-state potential energy surfaces. The key component is a chemically reactive optical sensor that provides a direct report of the dynamic interplay between protein and ligand at the active site. To illustrate the concept, we used a trans-stilbene hapten to elicit a panel of monoclonal antibodies that displayed a range of fluorescent spectral behavior when bound to a trans-stilbene substrate. Several antibodies yielded a blue fluorescence indicative of an excited-state complex or "exciplex" between trans-stilbene and the antibody. The antibodies controlled the isomerization coordinate of trans-stilbene and dynamically coupled this manifold with an active-site residue. A step was taken toward the use of antibody-based photochemical sensors for diagnostic and clinical applications.