[Ru(bpy)2(L)]Cl2: luminescent metal complexes that bind DNA base mismatches.

Here we report the synthesis of luminescent ruthenium complexes that bind DNA base pair mismatches. [Ru(bpy)2(tpqp)]Cl2 (tpqp = 7,8,13,14-tetrahydro-6-phenylquino[8,7-k][1,8]phenanthroline), [Ru(bpy)2(pqp)]Cl2 (pqp = 6-phenylquino[8,7-k][1,8]phenanthroline), and [Ru(bpy)2(tactp)]Cl2 [tactp = 4,5,9,18-tetraazachryseno[9,10-b]triphenylene] have been synthesized, and their spectroscopic properties in the absence and presence of DNA have been examined. While [Ru(bpy)2(pqp)]2+ shows no detectable luminescence, [Ru(bpy)2(tpqp)]2+ is luminescent in the absence and presence of DNA with an excited-state lifetime of 10 ns and a quantum yield of 0.002. Although no increase in emission intensity is associated with binding to mismatch-containing DNA, luminescence quenching experiments and measurements of steady-state fluorescence polarization provide evidence for preferential binding to oligonucleotides containing a CC mismatch. Furthermore, by marking the site of binding through singlet oxygen sensitized damage, the complex has been shown to target a CC mismatch site directly with a specific binding affinity, Kb = 4 x 10(6) M(-1). [Ru(bpy)2(tactp)]2+, an analogue of [Ru(bpy)2(dppz)]2+ containing a bulky intercalating ligand, is luminescent in aqueous solution at micromolar concentrations and exhibits a 12-fold enhancement in luminescence in the presence of DNA. The complex, however, tends to aggregate in aqueous solution; we find a dimerization constant of 9.8 x 10(5) M(-1). Again, by singlet oxygen sensitization it is apparent that [Ru(bpy)2(tactp)]2+ binds preferentially to a CC mismatch; using a DNase I footprinting assay, a binding constant to a CC mismatch of 8 x 10(5) M(-1) is found. Hence results with these novel luminescent complexes support the concept of using a structurally demanding ligand to obtain selectivity in targeting single base mismatches in DNA. The challenge is coupling the differential binding we can obtain to differential luminescence. Copyright 2004 American Chemical Society