Oligomerization reactions of deoxyribonucleotides on montmorillonite clay: the effect of mononucleotide structure on phosphodiester bond formation.

Adenine deoxynucleotides bind more strongly to Na(+)-montmorillonite than do the corresponding ribonucleotides. Thymidine nucleotides binds less strongly to Na(+)-montmorillonite than do the corresponding adenine deoxynucleotides. Oligomers of 2'-dpA up to the tetramer were detected in the reaction 2'-d-5'-AMP with EDAC (a water-soluble carbodiimide) in the presence of Na(+)-montmorillonite. Reaction of 3'-d-5'-AMP with EDAC on Na(+)-montmorillonite yields 3'-d-2',5'-pApA while the reaction of 2'-d-3'-AMP yields almost exclusively 3',5'-cdAMP. The reaction of 5'-TMP under the same reaction conditions give 3',5'-cpTpT and 3',5'-pTpT while 3'-TMP gives mainly 3',5'-cpT. The yield of dinucleotide products (dpNpN) containing the phosphodiester bond is 1% or less when Na(+)-montmorillonite is omitted from the reaction mixture.