beta-L-DNA

Beta L-DNA is the mirror image version of naturally occurring D-DNA. L-DNA and D-DNA share identical structures that differ only in terms of stereochemistry and generally have identical physical and chemical properties. The difference in their stereochemistry results in differences in their interactions with chiral molecules, D-DNA will only bind to its D-DNA complement to form right-handed helices, and likewise, L-DNA will only bind to its L-DNA complement to form left-handed helices. For this reason, enzymes that interact with D-DNA, including nucleases, typically won’t interact with L-DNA. The unique properties of L-DNAs have made them attractive for many biological applications such as Aptamers, Molecular Beacons, Molecular Tagging, and Drug Nanocarriers. Note that the procedure for synthesizing L-DNA oligonucleotides is very similar to that of D-DNA oligonucleotides. Please see GR31.2 for more details