| abstract |
The present invention provides fluorescent nucleosides carrying polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as anthracene, phenanthrene, pyrene, stilbene, tetracene or pentacene. The subject nucleosides may be synthesized using a C-glycosidic bond formation method employing organocadium or organozinc derivatives of the aromatic compounds and coupling with a 1-α-chlororibose or deoxyribose synthon. The α-anomers of the coupling reaction may be epimerized to the β-anomers by acid-catalyzed equilibration. The fluorescent nucleosides act as a DNA or RNA base analogs and can be incorporated into nucleic acids. Resultant fluorescently tagged nucleic acids are useful as probes for target nucleic acids in tissues, solutions or immobilized on membranes. |