Structure and conformation of the anticodon nucleoside 5-methoxyuridine in the solid state and in solution

Abstract
The three-dimensional structure of 5-methoxyuridine (mo5U) was determined with much higher precision than in a previous study (Hillen etal. J. Carbohydr. Nucleosides Nucleotides, 5, 23 (1978)). The crystals belong to the monoclinic space group P21 and the cell dimensions are a = 8.916(2), b = 14.372(2), c = 4.714(1) Å, β = 97.44(2)°. Intensity data were measured with a diffractometer and the structure was solved by direct methods. Least-squares refinement, which included all hydrogen atoms, converged at R = 0.031. The conformation about the glycosyl bond is anti (χCN = 23.1°), the pucker of the ribose ring is C(3′)endo, and the conformation of the —CH2OH side chain is gauche+. A comparison of the bond lengths N(3)—C(4) and C(4)—O(4) with those in uridine does not support the conclusion of Hillen etal. about a shift to the enol tautomer in mo5U. However, there are other changes in the geometry of the pyrimidine ring due to substitution at C(5). A conformational analysis, based on 1H and 13C nmr data, shows that the preferred conformation in solution is that observed in the solid state.

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