A cleavable heterobifunctional cross-linker for the reversible conjugation of amines to thiol- modified DNA has been developed and tested. The succinimidyl 2-(vinylsulfonyl) ethyl carbonate (SVEC) was prepared in three steps and tested for its ability to react with amines and thiols. The linker was efficient for binding leucine to a thiol-modified DNA sequence and for releasing the amino acid at pH 11.8.