Inducible alkylation of DNA by a quinone methide-peptide nucleic acid conjugate.

ABSTRACT: The reversibility of alkylation by a quinone methide intermediate (QM) avoids the irreversible consumption that plagues most reagents based on covalent chemistry and allows for site specific reaction that is controlled by the thermodynamics rather than kinetics of target association. This characteristic was originally examined with an oligonucleotide QM conjugate, but broad application depends on alternative derivatives that are compatible with a cellular environment. Now, a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) derivative has been constructed and shown to exhibit an equivalent ability to delivery the reactive QM in a controlled manner. This new conjugate demonstrates high selectivity for a complementary sequence of DNA even when challenged with an alternative sequence containing a single T/T mismatc

SUBMITTER: Liu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3277674 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature