Solid-phase synthesis of oligonucleotide glycoconjugates bearing three different glycosyl groups: orthogonally protected bis(hydroxymethyl)-N,N'-bis(3-hydroxypropyl)malondiamide phosphoramidite as key building block.

Diethyl O,O'-(methoxymethylene)bis(hydroxymethyl)malonate (3) was observed to undergo a stepwise aminolysis when treated with 3-aminopropanol. This allowed convenient preparation of bis(hydroxymethyl)-N,N'-bis(3-hydroxypropyl)malondiamide bearing orthogonal levulinyl (Lev) and tert-butyldiphenylsilyl (TBDPS) protections at the two N-hydroxypropyl groups (8). One of the hydroxylmethyl functions was then protected with a 4,4'-dimethoxytrityl (DMTr) group, and the other one was phosphitylated to obtain a methyl N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidite (1). This building block was used for the synthesis of oligonucleotide glycoconjugates (25 and 26) carrying three different sugar units. After conventional phosphoramidite chain assembly of the sequence containing 1, the 5'-terminal DMTr group was removed and an appropriate glycosyl 6-O-phosphoramidite was coupled. The remaining protections of the branching unit were removed in the order of Lev and TBDPS, and the exposed hydroxyl functions were reacted one after another with the desired glycosyl 6-O-phosphoramidites. Global deprotection and cleavage of the conjugate from the support were achieved by conventional ammonolysis.