Ligands that can interact specifically with telomeric multimeric G-quadruplexes could be developed as promising anticancer drugs with few side effects related to other G-quadruplex-forming regions. In this paper, a new cationic porphyrin derivative, m-TMPipEOPP, was synthesized and characterized. Its multimeric G-quadruplex recognition specificity under molecular crowding conditions was compare...

We have cocrystallized the drug ethidium bromide with the dinucleoside monophosphate 5-iodouridylyl(3'-5')adenosine and have solved the three-dimensional structure to atomic resolution by x-ray crystallography. This has allowed the direct visualization of intercalative binding by this drug to a fragment of a nucleic acid double helix.

Ethidium bromide (EB), acridine orange (AO), methylene blue (MB) and other fluorescent compounds are often used to probe DNA structure in drug–DNA and protein–DNA interactions. They bind nucleic acids via intercalative mode and cause major changes to DNA and RNA structures. The aim of this study was to examine the stability and structural features of calf-thymus DNA complexes with EB, AO andMB ...

Computations by the SIBFA method on the intercalative interaction energies of tilorone and m-AMSA with B-DNA representative oligonucleotides account for the specificity of these antitumor drugs for AT sites and minor groove intercalation. In tilorone this specificity is due to the strong preference of the side chains for the minor groove, which overcomes the preference of the chromophore for a ...

Poly(A) has significant relevance to mRNA stability, protein synthesis and cancer biology. The ability of two phenothiazinium dyes azure A (AA) and azure B (AB) to bind single-stranded poly(A) was studied by spectroscopic and calorimetric techniques. Strong binding of the dyes and the higher affinity of AA over AB were ascertained from absorbance and fluorescence experiments. Significant pertur...

The interaction between pyren-1-ylmethyl tri-n-butylphosphonium bromide (PMTP), a water-soluble cationic pyrene derivative and the double-strand polynucleotides Poly[dA-dT], Poly[dA].Poly[dT], Poly[dG-dC] and Poly[dG].Poly[dC] was studied using UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The PMTP probe interacts with polynucleotides through both weak and intercalative binding, evidenced th...

The design of small molecular ligands able to bind with DNA is pivotal for the development of diagnostic agents and therapeutic drugs targeting DNA. Carbazole-derivatives are potential agents against tumors and opportunistic infections of AIDS. Here, two carbazole-derived dicationic compounds, DPDI and DPPDI, were designed, synthesized and characterized using NMR, IR and MS. The DNA binding pro...

In depth interaction studies between calf thymus deoxyribonucleic acid (CT-DNA) and a series of four structurally relative palladium(II) complexes [Pd(en)(HB)](NO3)2 (a-d), where en is ethylenediamine and heterocyclic base (HB) is 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy, a); 1,10-phenanthroline (phen, b); dipyridoquinoxaline (dpq, c) and dipyridophenazine (dppz, d) (Figure 1), were performed. These studies have b...

Photophysical studies have been undertaken to characterize the binding interactions of enantiomers of Ru(phen)3(2+), Ru(DIP)3(2+), and racemic Ru(bpy)2dppz2+ (where phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, DIP = 4,7-diphenylphenanthroline, and dppz = dipyridophenazine) with Z-form poly d(GC). Parallel enhancements in steady state luminescent intensity and a lengthening of luminescent lifetimes are seen for ...