Themed collection Metal Interactions with Nucleic Acids

Welcome to the Dalton Transactions ‘metal interactions with nucleic acids’ themed issue.

Increasing numbers of DNA structures are being revealed using a diverse range of transition metal complexes and biophysical spectroscopic techniques. Here we present a review of metal complex-DNA interactions in which several binding modes and DNA structural forms are explored.

Recent applications of zinc(II) complexes as fluorescent probes for nucleic acids are described highlighting their potential as diagnostic tools.

For the first time, a dinuclear purine-based metal-mediated homo base pair has been incorporated into a B-DNA duplex.

cis-[Pt(2-azido-1,3-propanediamine)Cl₂] is a reagent for high-yield post-treatment fluorescent labelling of Pt(II) biomolecular targets using click chemistry and exhibits a bias in conformational isomers in the context of duplex DNA.

We have successfully generated silk nanoparticles loaded with the hydrophobic platinum(IV) antitumor prodrug PtBz achieving high cell selectivity factors.

Binding of an organo–osmium anticancer complex not only to guanine but also cytosine on DNA is revealed by electron-detachment dissociation tandem MS.

A bulky cationic cobalt(III) porphyrin carrying two water molecules as axial ligands interacts in a π-stacking like mode with the 5′-external guanine quartet of G-quadruplex DNA.

2D ¹H–¹H NOESY reveals that irradiation of cis-H,H-[Rh₂(HNOCCH₃)₂(dppz)(CH₃CN)₄]²⁺ results in covalent binding and end-capping of the complex to d(GTCGAC)₂.

The coordination compounds bind to DNA by two different binding modes depending on the concentration, sequence of the DNA, and the structure of the complex.

The aromatic pendent groups of Zn(II) tetraazamacrocyclic complexes were varied to study their role in the recognition of non-canonical thymines in a DNA bulge and in the human telomeric G-quadruplex.

It takes two to tango: Only the dinuclear but not the mononuclear metal complexes of triazacyclododecane ([12]aneN₃) were able to induce the Z-DNA of poly d(GC).

NMR studies confirmed phosphate clamp–DNA binding in solution and the sequence dictates minor-groove spanning or backbone tracking.

Insight into the structure of DNA-based catalysts is obtained by elucidation of the DNA-binding mode of catalytically active copper complexes.

High effective molarity is responsible for the significant increase of binding of substrates to copper(II) complexes in DNA-based catalysis.

The interactions of three Au(III) complexes with human telomeric DNA sequences: Auoxo6 turned out to be very effective in inducing and binding the G-quadruplex DNA conformation.

DNA is the cellular target for antitumor derivatives of transplatin including those containing small aliphatic amino ligands.

The trinuclear platinum drug BB3464 pre-associates in the minor groove at two different sites on a 14-mer duplex and this dictates the nature of the adducts formed in both 5′-5′ and 3′-3′ directions.

The conjugation of chlorambucil to the RAPTA scaffold results in an anticancer active agent capable of cross-linking DNA and proteins.

Achiral Ru(tpy)(py)dppz²⁺ intercalated into DNA has similar intermolecular interactions as opposite enantiomers of its structural isomer, the “light-switch” complex Ru(bpy)₂dppz²⁺.

Oligonuclear polypyridylruthenium(II) complexes show selectivity for the nucleus of eukaryotic cells with a considerable preference for the RNA-rich nucleolus.

A series of metal complexes with substituted terpyridines show high affinity towards quadruplex DNA, particularly bimetallic (trpy)Pt/M(cyclen) complexes.

Diiodido phosphine Pt complexes were synthesized and their biological activity studied. The complex with isopropylamine was the best candidate.

The anticancer-active platinum complex with cis-1,4-diaminocyclohexane has proved to be very valuable in detecting multiple conformers in adducts with oligonucleotides.