A new synthesis of 2'-C-methyluridine phosphoramidite is presented. Special emphasis is dedicated to the improvement of the protection of the tertiary 2'-hydroxyl group. Comparison to previous protecting strategies and analysis of stability under 5'-DMTr removing conditions are discussed. The synthetic incorporation of this modified nucleoside into the catalytic core of a hammerhead ribozyme against the estrogen receptor alpha protein (ER-alpha), and transfection experiments in MCF-7 cell line are also presented.
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