Conjugation of DNA with Functional Vinyl Polymers by Using Vinyl Derivatives of Psoralen as a Linker

We describe a vinyl monomer having a psoralen moiety, which can form a photoadduct with double-helical DNA. This monomer (2) which is bound covalently to DNA gives the double-helical DNA a polymerizable function. The covalently bound DNA with vinyl groups can be copolymerized with a comonomer to give rise to a DNA-vinyl polymer conjugate. In contrast to our previously reported psoralen-containing monomer (1) which has a relatively short spacer from ethylenediamine, the present monomer provides a highly efficient conjugation. Therefore, the psoralen-containing monomer 2 should be a useful tool for anchoring double-helical DNA on polymeric materials when applying the DNA as an affinity ligand for bioseparation and bioanalysis.