Phenoxyacetyl (pac) and methoxyacetyl (mac) for adenine and guanine, isobutyryl for cytosine, were successfully applied as amino protecting groups both in phosphotriester and phosphoramidite approaches. As shown by N.M.R. and H.P.L.C. analysis, they are completely deblocked in less than four hours in 29% ammonia at room temperature allowing the preparation of modified DNA containing alkali labile bases such as saturated pyrimidines. The stability of N6-phenoxyacetyl-deoxyadenosine versus depurination in acidic conditions used in the detritylation step was favorably compared with that of the classic N6-benzoyl protected adenine.

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5,6-Dihydrothymine is one of the most important products of base damage by gamma irradiation of DNA in anoxic conditions. This modified base is unstable in the deprotection conditions used for classical synthesis of oligonucleotides. For its incorporation in synthetic DNA fragments, a new set of amino protecting groups has been developed. The 5,6-dihydrothymidine phosphoramidite was successfully employed for the synthesis of two 14-mers and one 17-mer bearing this defect at positions corresponding to restriction enzymes sites. The presence of the modified base still intact in the oligonucleotides was evidenced by mass spectrometry in pyrolytic conditions.

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