Oligonucleotides

natural or synthetic oligomeric compounds composed of a few nucleotide (mononucleotide) radicals connected by a phosphodiester bond. Oligonucleotides are formed during partial chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis of nucleic acids (polynucleotides). The chemical synthesis of oligonucleotides with a given sequence of bases is an important intermediate stage in the synthetic preparation of biologically active polynucleotides.