Divalent nucleobase compounds and uses therefor

1. A genetic recognition reagent comprising a plurality of nucleobase moieties attached to a nucleic acid backbone or a nucleic acid analog backbone, in which at least one of the plurality of nucleobase moieties is a ring system chosen from:

wherein R 1 is H or a protecting group, and R is a residue of the nucleic acid backbone or a residue of the nucleic acid analog backbone in the genetic recognition reagent.

2. The genetic recognition reagent of claim 1 , in which R 1 is the protecting group, wherein the protecting group is independently: methyl, formyl, ethyl, acetyl, anisyl, benzyl, benzoyl, carbamate, trifluoroacetyl, diphenylmethyl, triphenylmethyl, benzyloxymethyl, benzyloxycarbonyl, 2-nitrobenzoyl, t-Boc (tert-butyloxycarbonyl), 4-methylbenzyl, 4-nitrophenyl, 2-chlorobenzyloxycarbonyl, 2-bromobenzyloxycarbonyl, 2,4,5-trichlorophenyl, thioanizyl, thiocresyl, cbz (carbobenzyloxy), p-methoxybenzyl carbonyl, 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl, pentafluorophenyl, p-methoxybenzyl, 3,4-dimethozybenzyl, p-methoxyphenyl, 4-toluenesulfonyl, p-nitrobenzenesulfonyl, 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl, 2-nitrophenylsulfenyl, 2,2,5,7,8-pentamethyl-chroman-6-sulfonyl, or p-bromobenzenesulfonyl.

3. The genetic recognition reagent of claim 1 , in which the nucleic acid backbone or the nucleic acid analog backbone is a DNA backbone, RNA backbone, peptide nucleic acid (PNA) backbone, phosphorothioate backbone, locked nucleic acid backbone, unlocked nucleic acid backbone, 2′—O-methyl—substituted RNA backbone, morpholino nucleic acid backbone, threose nucleic acid backbone, or glycol nucleic acid backbone, or any combination thereof.

4. The genetic recognition reagent of claim 1 , in which the nucleic acid analog backbone is a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) backbone.

5. The genetic recognition reagent of claim 1 , having a structure:

where each instance of M is the residue of the nucleic acid backbone or the residue of the nucleic acid analog backbone, and each instance of B is independently one of the plurality of nucleobase moieties, where at least one instance of B is the ring system, each instance of E is independently an end group, and “n” is zero or a positive integer ranging from 1 to 48.

6. The genetic recognition reagent of claim 1 , in which all instances of R 1 are H.

7. A compound comprising a nucleobase moiety and R, wherein the compound is:

wherein R 1 is H or a protecting group, and R is: carboxyl, hydroxyl, amine, cyanate, thiol, epoxide, vinyl, N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) ester, azide, alkynyl, maleimide, hydrazide, tetrazine, phosphoramidite, cycloalkyne, nitrile, (CH 2 )nCO 2 H or (CH 2 )nCO 2 Y where n=1-5 and Y=succinimidyl; a solid substrate; a nucleic acid backbone monomer; a nucleic acid analog backbone monomer; a residue of a nucleic acid polymer; or a residue of a nucleic acid analog polymer.

8. The compound of claim 7 , wherein R is the nucleic acid backbone monomer or the nucleic acid analog backbone monomer.

9. The compound of claim 7 , wherein R is the solid substrate, wherein the solid substrate is a silicon wafer, a multi-well dish, a polymeric bead, or an array.

10. The compound of claim 7 , wherein each R 1 is the protecting group, wherein the protecting group is independently methyl, formyl, ethyl, acetyl, anisyl, benzyl, benzoyl, carbamate, trifluoroacetyl, diphenylmethyl, triphenylmethyl, benzyloxymethyl, benzyloxycarbonyl, 2-nitrobenzoyl, t-Boc (tert-butyloxycarbonyl), 4-methylbenzyl, 4-nitrophenyl, 2-chlorobenzyloxycarbonyl, 2-bromobenzyloxycarbonyl, 2,4,5-trichlorophenyl, thioanizyl, thiocresyl, cbz (carbobenzyloxy), p-methoxybenzyl carbonyl, 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl, pentafluorophenyl, p-methoxybenzyl, 3,4-dimethozybenzyl, p-methoxyphenyl, 4-toluenesulfonyl, p-nitrobenzenesulfonyl, 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl, 2-nitrophenylsulfenyl, 2,2,5,7,8-pentamethyl-chroman-6-sulfonyl, or p-bromobenzenesulfonyl.

11. The compound of claim 7 , wherein R is the nucleic acid analog backbone monomer, wherein the nucleic acid analog backbone monomer is a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) backbone monomer.

12. The compound of claim 7 , wherein R is the nucleic acid analog backbone monomer, and the nucleic acid analog backbone monomer is: a phosphorothioate backbone monomer, a locked nucleic acid backbone monomer, an unlocked nucleic acid backbone monomer, a 2′—O-methyl—substituted RNA backbone monomer, a morpholino nucleic acid backbone monomer, a threose nucleic acid backbone monomer, or a glycol nucleic acid backbone monomer.

13. The compound of claim 7 , wherein R is the nucleic acid backbone monomer, wherein the nucleic acid backbone monomer is a ribose mono-, di-, or tri-phosphate, or a deoxyribose mono-, di-, or tri-phosphate.

14. A compound comprising a nucleobase moiety and R, wherein the compound is:

wherein R 1 is H or a protecting group, and R is: carboxyl, hydroxyl, amine, cyanate, thiol, epoxide, vinyl, allyl, N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) ester, azide, alkynyl, maleimide, hydrazide, tetrazine, phosphoramidite, cycloalkyne, nitrile, (CH 2 ) n CO 2 H where n=1-5, a solid substrate, a nucleic acid backbone monomer, a nucleic acid analog backbone monomer, a residue of a nucleic acid polymer, or a residue of a nucleic acid analog polymer.

15. The genetic recognition reagent of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid analog backbone is a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) backbone in which R and one nucleobase moiety of the plurality of nucleobase moieties form

wherein:

each R 2 , R 3 and R 4 is independently methyl, ethyl, amino acid side chains, linear or branched (C 3 -C 8 )alkyl, (C 2 -C 8 )alkenyl, (C 2 -C 8 )alkynyl, (C 1 -C 8 )hydroxyalkyl, (C 3 -C 8 )aryl, (C 3 -C 8 )cycloalkyl, (C 3 -C 8 )aryl(C 1 -C 6 )alkylene, (C 3 -C 8 )cycloalkyl(C 1 -C 6 )alkylene, a PEGylated moiety of the preceding comprising from 1 to 50 (—O—CH 2 —CH 2 —) residues, H, —CH 2 —(OCH 2 —CH 2 ) q OP 1 , —CH 2 —(OCH 2 —CH 2 ) q —NHP 1 , —CH 2 —(OCH 2 —CH 2 ) q —SP 1 and —CH 2 —(SCH 2 —CH 2 ) q —SP 1 , —CH 2 —(OCH 2 —CH 2 ) r —OH, —CH 2 —(OCH 2 —CH 2 ) r —NH 2 , —CH 2 —(OCH 2 —CH 2 ) r —NHC(NH)NH 2 , or —CH 2 —(OCH 2 —CH 2 ) r —S—S [CH 2 CH 2 ] s NHC(NH)NH 2 , provided that R 2 and R 3 are different and one of R 2 or R 3 is H; or R 3 and R 4 together form a 1,3-propylene linkage and R 2 is H; or R 2 and R 4 together form a 1,3-propylene linkage and R 3 is H;

P 1 is selected from the group consisting of H, (C 1 -C 8 )alkyl, (C 2 -C 8 )alkenyl, (C 2 -C 8 )alkynyl, (C 3 -C 8 )aryl, (C 3 -C 8 )cycloalkyl, (C 3 -C 8 )aryl(C 1 -C 6 )alkylene and (C 3 -C 8 )cycloalkyl(C 1 -C 6 )alkylene;

q is an integer from 0 to 10, inclusive;

r and s are each independently integers from 1 to 50, inclusive; and

Base is the one nucleobase moiety of the plurality of nucleobase moieties.

16. The genetic recognition reagent of claim 15 , in which R 3 is H, R 2 is an amino acid side chain that is PEGylated, with one or more PEG moieties of one to twelve (—O—CH 2 —CH 2 —) residues.

17. The compound of claim 11 , wherein the PNA backbone monomer comprises a residue of the formula:

18. The compound of claim 11 , wherein the PNA backbone monomer is a gamma peptide nucleic acid (γPNA) backbone monomer.

19. The compound of claim 11 , wherein the PNA backbone monomer and the nucleobase moiety form

wherein each R 2 , R 3 and R 4 is independently methyl, ethyl, amino acid side chains, linear or branched (C 3 -C 8 )alkyl, (C 2 -C 8 )alkenyl, (C 2 -C 8 )alkynyl, (C 1 -C 8 )hydroxyalkyl, (C 3 -C 8 )aryl, (C 3 -C 8 )cycloalkyl, (C 3 -C 8 )aryl(C 1 -C 6 )alkylene, (C 3 -C 8 )cycloalkyl(C 1 -C 6 )alkylene, a PEGylated moiety of the preceding comprising from 1 to 50 (—O—CH 2 —CH 2 —) residues, H, —CH 2 —(OCH 2 —CH 2 ) q OP 1 , —CH 2 —(OCH 2 —CH 2 ) q —NHP 1 , —CH 2 —(OCH 2 —CH 2 ) q —SP 1 and —CH 2 —(SCH 2 —CH 2 ) q —SP 1 , —CH 2 —(OCH 2 —CH 2 ) r —OH, —CH 2 —(OCH 2 —CH 2 ) r —NH 2 , —CH 2 —(OCH 2 —CH 2 ) r —NHC(NH)NH 2 , or —CH 2 —(OCH 2 —CH 2 ) r —S—S [CH 2 CH 2 ] s NHC(NH)NH 2 , provided that R 2 and R 3 are different and one of R 2 or R 3 is H; or R 3 and R 4 together form a 1,3-propylene linkage and R 2 is H; or R 2 and R 4 together form a 1,3-propylene linkage and R 3 is H;

R 5 is a protecting group or H;

P 1 is selected from the group consisting of H, (C 1 -C 8 )alkyl, (C 2 -C 8 )alkenyl, (C 2 -C 8 )alkynyl, (C 3 -C 8 )aryl, (C 3 -C 8 )cycloalkyl, (C 3 -C 8 )aryl(C 1 -C 6 )alkylene and (C 3 -C 8 )cycloalkyl(C 1 -C 6 )alkylene;

q is an integer from 0 to 10, inclusive;

r and s are each independently integers from 1 to 50, inclusive; and

Base is the nucleobase moiety.