Synthesis of polynucleotide analogs containing a polyvinyl alcohol backbone.

Water soluble homo-base polynucleotide analogues were synthesized in which polyvinyl alcohol and partially phosphonated polyvinyl alcohol constituted the backbones,onto which were grafted uracil or adenine via 1,3-dioxane spacers formed by acetal formation with the 1,3-diol moieties in PVA. The resulting adenine-PVA polynucleotide analogs exhibited hyperchromic effects, which was not the case for the corresponding uracil compounds. Mixtures of the adenine- and aracil PVA-phosphate polynucleotide analogs in solutions exhibited characteristic S-shaped UV-absorbance vs temperature and melting curves with melting points at approximately 40 degrees C.