Synthesis of light-responsive bridged nucleic acid and changes in affinity with complementary ssRNA.

The control of molecular properties through the use of external stimuli such as pH, temperature, or change in redox potential is an attractive area of research for the regulation of various biological phenomena. Among such stimuli, light is an ideal trigger because of its potential for spatiotemporal control of cellular chemistry. The compounds that can release an active molecule upon light irradiation are called “caged compounds”. In general, the properties of caged compounds, such as affinity for a specific molecule, can be changed only once (Figure 1A). If another trigger could cause additional al-