3'-Mercapto-2',3'-dideoxynucleotides are high effective terminators of DNA synthesis catalyzed by HIV reverse transcriptase.

Four 3'-mercapto-2',3'-dideoxynucleoside 5'-triphosphates (A, G, C and T) were tested as DNA chain terminator substrates for calf thymus alpha-DNA polymerase, E. coli DNA polymerase I Klenow fragment, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase and reverse transcriptases of AMV, HIV and MLV viruses. It was shown that the analogues selectively and irreversibly terminated DNA chain elongation by AMV and HIV reverse transcriptases and the terminal transferase. Other DNA polymerases tested did not use the nucleotide analogues as chain terminator substrate.

Some aspects of DNA polymerase functioning.

The group of DNA polymerases was studied using some new nucleoside 5'-triphosphate analogs with termination substrate properties. Among DNA polymerases tested the least specific appeared reverse transcriptases of retroviruses and the most specific were DNA polymerases alpha type from high eucaryotes including mammalians.

Nucleoside 5'-triphosphates with modified sugars as substrates for DNA polymerases.

A number of nucleoside 5'-triphosphate analogs were tested with Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I and Klenow fragment of the enzyme, bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase and calf thymus DNA polymerase alpha. It was shown that 3'-amino-2',3'-dideoxynucleoside 5'-triphosphates as well as a number of 3'-derivatives of dTTP(3'NH2) are able to terminate DNA synthesis catalyzed by each enzyme if the reaction is performed in the absence of natural substrates. ddNTP and dNTP(3'F) were found to be inactive with DNA polymerase alpha only, but araNTP(3'NH2) was inactive with E. coli DNA polymerase I. dTTP(3'N3), dGTP(3'N'3), dCTP(3'N3), araNTP(3'N3) and (alpha-thio)dTTP(3'F) were unable to inhibit any of the above-mentioned DNA polymerases, in contrast to reverse transcriptase, accessible to the most nucleotide analogs tested.

3'-Hydroxymethyl 2'-deoxynucleoside 5'-triphosphates are inhibitors highly specific for reverse transcriptase.

dNTP(3'-OCH3), a 3'-O-methyl derivative of dNTP, is a chain terminator substrate for DNA synthesis catalyzed by AMV reverse transcriptase. The enzyme seems to be the only DNA polymerase susceptible to the inhibitor while all the other DNA polymerases tested are fully resistant to the nucleotide analog. The resistant polymerases are: E. coli DNA polymerase I, Klenow's fragment of DNA polymerase I, phage T4 DNA polymerase, calf thymus DNA polymerase alpha, rat liver DNA polymerase beta and calf thymus terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase.

3'-Fluoro-2',3'-dideoxyribonucleoside 5'-triphosphates: terminators of DNA synthesis.

It is shown that dNTP(3'F) are terminators of DNA synthesis and may serve as very effective tools for DNA sequencing with E.coli DNA polymerase I and AMV reverse transcriptase. The dNTP(3'F) are found to be chain terminator substrates for calf thymus terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase but not for calf thymus DNA polymerase alpha. The optimal dNTP(3'F) concentration for DNA sequencing by DNA polymerase I is found to be an order of magnitude lower than that of ddNTPs. dNTP(3'F) produce a more clear sequence pattern than do ddNTPs.

2',3'-Dideoxy-3' aminonucleoside 5'-triphosphates are the terminators of DNA synthesis catalyzed by DNA polymerases.

It is shown that 2',3'-dideoxy-3'-aminonucleoside 5'-triphosphates with adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine bases are effective inhibitors of DNA polymerase I, calf thymus DNA polymerase alpha and rat liver DNA polymerase beta. The effect of the above-mentioned compounds is markedly higher than corresponding action of the well-known DNA synthesis inhibitors arabinonucleoside 5'-triphosphates and 2',3'-dideoxynucleoside 5'-triphosphates. 2',3'-dideoxy-3'-aminonucleoside 5'-monophosphate residues incorporate into the 3'-terminus of the primer and terminate the DNA chain elongation. The possibility of using 2',3'-dideoxy-3'-aminonucleoside 5'-triphosphates as terminators for DNA sequencing by the polymerization method is demonstrated.