Branched oligodeoxynucleotides: a new synthetic strategy and formation of strong intra- and intermolecular triple helical complexes

A fully automated synthetic strategy for preparation of branched oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) analogues with sequences of arbitrary length and base composition is described. Various novel triple helix forming branched ODNs were synthesized and their behavior during thermal denaturation at 260 nm and 284 nm studied. The intra- and intermolecular hybridization properties of the novel branched ODNs are improved compared to analogous linear ODNs.