Oligonucleotides with 1,5-anhydrohexitol nucleoside building blocks: crystallization and preliminary X-ray studies of h(GTGTACAC)

Hexitol nucleic acids are oligonucleotides built up from natural nucleobases and a phosphorylated 1,5-anhydrohexitol backbone. The anhydrohexitol oligonucleotide h(GTGTACAC) was synthesized using phosphoramidite chemistry and standard protecting groups. Crystals of h(GTGTACAC) were obtained at either 279 or 289 K by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion technique using a 24-matrix screen for nucleic acid fragments. The crystals diffract beyond 2.0 Å resolution and belong to the hexagonal space group P6₂22 (or P6₄22) with unit-cell parameters a = 36.42 and c = 63.33 Å.