Download citation
Acta Cryst. (2014). A70, C1377
Download citation

link to html
Since the 1980s, there has been great interest in how polypyridyl ruthenium complexes bind to DNA. This is due to their photoactive properties[1], which have great potential in photodynamic therapy, as they are able to damage DNA upon photoirradiation. However, there has been significant debate over the precise binding sites of these complexes due to the lack of definitive structural information. Presented here are several high resolution crystal structures showing how these complexes can bind to short DNA oligonucleotides. With each new structure we are able to answer questions about the binding geometry and step specificity which could explain the observations obtained from biophysical measurements in solution. We have shown that the complexes bind by intercalation as well as confirming a previously proposed binding mode, semi-intercalation. We have also shown that the complexes bind with a high level of sequence specificity[2], preferring TA steps over AT and CG and that each enantiomer can bind with a different orientation[3] (Figure 1). One obvious advantage to working with crystal samples is that they possess a well defined molecular structure, which can be determined and is therefore known. Spectroscopic experiments, with data collected in the picosecond and nanosecond timescale, will also be reported with these systems.
Follow Acta Cryst. A
Sign up for e-alerts
Follow Acta Cryst. on Twitter
Follow us on facebook
Sign up for RSS feeds