Peptide nucleic acids (PNA, I) are oligonucleotide mimics in which the sugar-phosphate backbone is replaced by a pseudopeptide scaffold composed of N-(2-aminoethyl)glycine units. 1 The nucleobases A/T/C/G are attached to the scaffold via carbonylmethyl spacers. PNA binds to complementary DNA/RNA with high sequence specificity and selectivity to form duplexes via Watson–Crick base pairs and triplexes through Watson–Crick and Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding. 1 Because ...
