Mimics of small ribozymes utilizing a supramolecular scaffold†
Abstract
For elucidating the mechanism of the general acid/base catalysis of the hydrolysis of RNA phosphodiester bonds, a number of cleaving agents having two cyclen moieties tethered to a 1,3,5-triazine core have been prepared and their ability to bind and cleave uridylyl-3′,5′-uridine (UpU) studied over a wide pH range. Around neutral pH, the cleaving agents form a highly stable ternary complex with UpU and ZnII through coordination of the uracil N3 and the cyclen