Based on the favorable antiviral profiles of 4′-substituted nucleosides, novel 1-(2′-deoxy- 2′-fluoro-4′-C-ethynyl-β-d-arabinofuranosyl)-uracil (1a),-thymine (1b), and-cytosine (2) analogs were synthesized. Compounds 1b and 2 exhibited potent anti-HIV-1 activity with IC50 values of 86 and 1.34 nM, respectively, without significant cytotoxicity. Compound 2 was 35-fold more potent than AZT against wild-type virus, and also retained nanomolar ...