The binding of molecules to specific DNA sequences is important for imaging genome DNA and for studying gene expression. Increasing the number of base pairs targeted by these molecules would provide greater specificity. N-Methylpyrrole-N-methylimidazole (Py-Im) polyamides are one type of such molecules and can bind to the minor groove of DNA in a sequence-specific manner without causing denatur...

The nucleotide sequence preferences of the DNA interstrand cross-linking agents dehydroretronecine diacetate (DHRA), 2,3-bis(acetoxymethyl)-1-methylpyrrole (BAMP), dehydromonocrotaline, and dehydroretrorsine were studied by using synthetic DNA duplex fragments and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). These agents have structural features in common with the reductively activated aziridinom...

Many genes involved in cell cycle control have promoters that bind the heterotrimeric transcription factor NF-Y. Several minor-groove binding drugs have been shown to block interactions of transcription factors with cognate DNA-binding sequences. We showed previously that noncovalent minor-groove binding agents block interactions of NF-Y with the promoter of topoisomerase IIalpha (topo IIalpha)...

The reaction of (E)-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-heptenal with butylamine and glycine methyl ester produced brown macromolecular pigments, which showed fluorescent characteristics similar to lipofuscins. This polymerization reaction implies in the first step the formation of 1-alkyl-2-(1'-hydroxyalkyl)pyrroles (IV, VI). Compounds IV and VI have been isolated and characterized from the above reactions, and t...

The electrochemical preparation of poly-N-methylpyrrole (PMPy) coated platinum electrode in chloroform in the presence of tetrabutylammonium Perchlorate, hexafluorophosphate, hydrogensulphate, Periodate and Iodide as supporting electrolytes was performed. The influence of electrosynthesis method, dopant anion type and operation temperature on electrochemical behavior of polymer were demonst...

Symmetric 2,5-bisazopyrroles 2(a-d) were synthesized by a one-step reaction of substituted phenyl diazonium salts [R'(Ph)N2(+)Cl-] [a, R' = 4-N(CH3)2; b, R' = 2-OH; c, R' = 2-CO2H; d, R' = 4-NO2] with pyrrole under basic conditions. Asymmetric 2,5-bisazopyrroles 3(a-d) were synthesized by reacting substituted phenyl diazonium salts [R''(Ph)N2(+)Cl-] (a, R'' = 4-OCH(3); b, R'' = H; c, R'' = 4-Br...

BACKGROUND Gene-specific targeting of any protein-DNA complex by small molecules is a challenging goal at the interface of chemistry and biology. Polyamides containing N-methylimidazole and N-methylpyrrole amino acids are synthetic ligands that have an affinity and specificity for DNA comparable to many naturally occurring DNA-binding proteins. It has been shown that an eight-ring hairpin polya...

Polyamides composed of N-methylpyrrole (Py), N-methylimidazole (Im) and N-methylhydroxypyrrole (Hp) amino acids linked by beta-alanine (beta) bind the minor groove of DNA in 1:1 and 2:1 ligand to DNA stoichiometries. Although the energetics and structure of the 2:1 complex has been explored extensively, there is remarkably less understood about 1:1 recognition beyond the initial studies on netr...