Covalent or non-covalent interactions with DNA are the basis for many potential biomedical applications of copper complexes, ranging from DNA structural probes and footprinting agents to anticancer drugs to gene delivery. Ideally, a complex binds selectively to a specific DNA sequence, conformation or higher order structure or causes a permanent structural transition or conformational change. The literature in this field has been constantly growing over the past two to three decades as new applications were emerging. State-of-the-art of DNA-binding Cu complexes designed for applications in bioinorganic and medicinal inorganic chemistry, includes different ligand classes, i.e. amino acids and peptides, phenanthrolines and phenanthroline-like ligands, terpyridines, porphyrins, Schiff bases and (thio)semicarbazones, polyaza macrocycles and tripodal ligands. Here you can see a recent crystal structure (2.5 A resolution) of a copper-containing synthetic DNA complex, combined also with cobalt ions showing how the heavy ions are able to induce the formation of complex helical patterns in DNA (PDB code: 7EAY)
#molecularart ... #immolecular ... #DNA ... #copper ... #cobalt ... #complex ... #structure ... #xray
DNA in complex with copper and cobalt rendered with @proteinimaging and depicted with @corelphotopaint
#molecularart ... #immolecular ... #DNA ... #copper ... #cobalt ... #complex ... #structure ... #xray
DNA in complex with copper and cobalt rendered with @proteinimaging and depicted with @corelphotopaint
