Researchers at University of Siena Target Biomimetics (Preparation of Light-responsive Unnatural Rna Bases Via a Chromogenic Morita-baylis-hillman Adduct Path).

Researchers at the University of Siena in Italy have conducted a study on the synthesis of light-responsive RNA building blocks using Morita-Baylis-Hillman adducts (MBHAs). The study focused on the functionalization of natural RNA bases as well as two unnatural bases. The results showed selective functionalization for the unnatural bases, and the conjugation products were investigated spectroscopically, photochemically, and computationally. The researchers found that one of the unnatural bases acted as a cinnamic-framework-based photoswitch, isomerizing through a biomimetic light-induced intramolecular charge transfer mechanism. This research has been peer-reviewed and provides valuable insights into the development of RNA-based tools for biological and pharmacological research. [Extracted from the article]