Polyamide-scorpion cyclam lexitropsins selectively bind AT-rich DNA independently of the nature of the coordinated metal.

Anthony T S Lo, Noeris K Salam, David E Hibbs, Peter J Rutledge, Matthew H Todd

Index: PLoS ONE 6(5) , e17446, (2011)

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Abstract

Cyclam was attached to 1-, 2- and 3-pyrrole lexitropsins for the first time through a synthetically facile copper-catalyzed "click" reaction. The corresponding copper and zinc complexes were synthesized and characterized. The ligand and its complexes bound AT-rich DNA selectively over GC-rich DNA, and the thermodynamic profile of the binding was evaluated by isothermal titration calorimetry. The metal, encapsulated in a scorpion azamacrocyclic complex, did not affect the binding, which was dominated by the organic tail.