CTC TRR 61 C07 - Artificial nucleic acids with metal-based luminescent properties

Basic data for this project

Description

The utilization of artificial metal-mediated base pairs represents an elegant and innovative tool for the site-specific introduction of metal-based functionality into the world of nucleic acids. In an effort to enable applications of nanoscale self-assembling luminescent constructs in DNA-based nanotechnology, this project will focus on the development and characterization of nucleic acids comprising photoactive metal-mediated base pairs.The base pairs will be designed in a way that the optical properties derive mainly from metallophilic interac-tions between two vicinal metal ions, rather than from the respective artificial nucleobases. Thus, two metal ions within the same or between neighbouring metal-mediated base pairs will be introduced. In addition, novel artificial bases will be developed with increased affinity towards metal ions whose complexes and clusters display well-known photophysical properties, such as Au(I), Au(III) or Pt(II). The structural constraints imposed by the double helices and the metallophilic interactions are expected to give rise to previously unexplored spectroscopic properties, thus opening an entirely new field of basic research.