Derivatized oligonucleotides having improved uptake and other properties

A compound comprising a plurality of linked nucleosides, wherein:

• at least one of the nucleosides is a 2'-deoxy'-2'-fluoro, 2'-O-C.sub.1 -C.sub.20 -alkyl, 2'-O-C.sub.2 -C.sub.20 -alkenyl, 2'-O-C.sub.2 -C.sub.20 -alkynyl, 2'-S-C.sub.1 -C.sub.20 -alkyl, 2'-S-C.sub.2 -C.sub.20 -alkenyl, or 2'-S-C.sub.2 -C.sub.20 -alkynyl nucleoside;
• and
• at least one of the nucleosides is a functionalized nucleoside selected from the group consisting of:
• a 2'-O-functionalized or a 2'-S-functionalized nucleoside having a steroid molecule, an RNA cleaving complex, a porphyrin, or an aryl azide photo-crosslinking agent linked to the 2'-position of the nucleoside;
• a heterocyclic base functionalized nucleoside having a steroid molecule, a reporter molecule, an enzyme, a peptide, a protein, a vitamin, an RNA cleaving complex, a metal chelator, a porphyrin, an alkylator, a hybrid photonuclease/intercalator, or an aryl azide photo-crosslinking agent linked to the heterocyclic base of the nucleoside;
• a 5' terminal nucleoside having a steroid molecule, a reporter molecule, an enzyme, a peptide, a protein, a vitamin, an RNA cleaving complex, a metal chelator, a porphyrin, an alkylator, a hybrid photonuclease/inter-calator, or an aryl azide photo-crosslinking agent linked to a 5'-O-position or a 5'-S-position of the nucleoside;
• a 3' terminal nucleoside having a steroid molecule, a reporter molecule, an enzyme, a peptide, a protein, a vitamin, an RNA cleaving complex, a metal chelator, a porphyrin, an alkylator, a hybrid photonuclease/intercalator, or an aryl azide photo-crosslinking agent linked to the 3'-position of the nucleoside;
• and
• an inter-strand nucleoside having a steroid molecule, a reporter molecule, an enzyme, a peptide, a protein, a vitamin, an RNA cleaving complex, a metal chelator, a porphyrin, an alkylator, a hybrid photo-nuclease/intercalator, or an aryl azide photo-crosslinking agent linked to an inter-stand linkage linking said inter-strand nucleoside to an adjacent nucleoside.

A compound comprising a plurality of linked nucleosides, wherein at least one of the nucleosides is a functionalized nucleoside selected from the group consisting of:

• a 5' terminal nucleoside having pyrene linked to the 5'-position of the nucleoside;
• a 3' terminal nucleoside having pyrene linked to the 3'-position of the nucleoside;
• and
• an inter-strand nucleoside having pyrene linked to an inter-nucleotide linkage linking said inter-strand nucleoside to an adjacent nucleoside.