N-cyclic bay-substituted perylene G-quadruplex ligands have selective antiproliferative effects on cancer cells and induce telomere damage.

A series of bay-substituted perylene derivatives is reported as a new class of G-quadruplex ligands. The synthesized compounds have differing N-cyclic substituents on the bay area and differing side chains on the perylene major axis. ESI-MS and FRET measurements highlighted the strongest quadruplex binders in this series and those showing the highest quadruplex/duplex selectivity. Several biological assays were performed on these compounds, which showed that compound 5 (PPL3C) triggered a DNA damage response in transformed cells with the formation of telomeric foci containing phosphorylated γ-H2AX and 53BP1. This effect mainly occurred in replicating cells and was consistent with Pot1 dissociation. Compound 5 does not induce telomere damage in normal cells, which are unaffected by treatment with the compound, suggesting that this agent preferentially kills cancer cells. These results reinforce the notion that G-quadruplex binding compounds can act as broad inhibitors of telomere-related processes and have potential as selective antineoplastic drugs.