3′-Mercapto-2′,3′-dideoxynucleotides are high effective terminators of DNA synthesis catalyzed by HIV reverse transcriptase

AbstractFour 3′-mercapto-2′,3′-dideoxynucleoside 5′-triphosphates (A, G, C and T) were tested as DNA chain terminator substrates for calf thymus α-DNA polymerase, E. coli DNA polymerase I Klenow fragment, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase and reverse transcriptases of AMV, HIV and MLV viruses. It was shown that the analogues selectively and irreversibly terminated DNA chain elongation by AMV and HIV reverse transcriptases and the terminal transferase. Other DNA polymerases tested did not use the nucleotide analogues as chain terminator substrate