Our article entitled Impact of positive charge and ring-size on interactions of calixarenes with DNA, RNA and nucleotides by Ivona Krošl, Ena Otković, Ivana Nikšić-Franjić, Benoit Colasson, Olivia Reinaud, Aleksandar Višnjevac and Ivo Piantanida, has been accepted for publication in New Journal of Chemistry. The publication summarizes part of the work accomplished during the first product period, on the recognition and binding study of the selected SBVs towards variety of polynucleotide chains and some mononucleotides.
ABSTRACT
Comparison of various calix[6]arene and calix[4]arene derivatives revealed that only analogues bearing permanent positive charge non-covalently bind to ds-DNA and ds-RNA, by insertion into DNA minor groove or RNA major groove. Also, these cationic analogues revealed strong and highly selective charge-dependent stabilization of AT-DNA against thermal denaturation, calix[6]arene trication being for an order of magnitude more efficient than its calix[4]arene dicationic analogue. At variance to DNA/RNA selectivity for only cationic calixarenes, both, neutral and cationic calixarenes bind nucleoside monophosphates with similar efficiency, by forming tweezer-like supramolecular complexes, with nucleobases inserted between aromatic pendant arms grafted to calixarene rims. Such nucleotide-calixarene complexes were monitored by emission change of calixarene as a function of nucleobase insertion, at variance to DNA/RNA complexes in which calixarene is inserted into polynucleotide groove, which does not change calixarene emission – stressing importance of the ligand insertion within calix-basket for the fluorimetric sensing.
calixdna.org 