TY - JOUR
T1 - On the role of mercury in the non-covalent stabilisation of consecutive U-HgII-U metal-mediated nucleic acid base pairs
T2 - Metallophilic attraction enters the world of nucleic acids
AU - Benda, Ladislav
AU - Straka, Michal
AU - Tanaka, Yoshiyuki
AU - Sychrovský, Vladimír
PY - 2011/1/7
Y1 - 2011/1/7
N2 - Metal atoms with a closed-shell electronic structure and positive charge as for example the AuI, PtII, AgI, TlI or HgII atoms do not in some compounds repel each other due to the so-called metallophilic attraction (P. Pyykkö, Chem. Rev., 1997, 97, 597-636). Here we highlight the role of the HgII⋯Hg II metallophilic attraction between the consecutive metal-mediated mismatched base pairs of nucleic acids. Usually, the base stacking dominates the non-covalent interactions between steps of native nucleic acids. In the presence of metal-mediated base pairs these non-covalent interactions are enriched by the metal-base interactions and the metallophilic attraction. The two interactions arising due to the metal linkage of the mismatches were found in this study to have a stabilizing effect on nucleic acid structure. The calculated data are consistent with recent experimental observations. The stabilization due to the metallophilic attraction seems to be a generally important concept for the nucleic acids containing heavy metals with short contacts.
AB - Metal atoms with a closed-shell electronic structure and positive charge as for example the AuI, PtII, AgI, TlI or HgII atoms do not in some compounds repel each other due to the so-called metallophilic attraction (P. Pyykkö, Chem. Rev., 1997, 97, 597-636). Here we highlight the role of the HgII⋯Hg II metallophilic attraction between the consecutive metal-mediated mismatched base pairs of nucleic acids. Usually, the base stacking dominates the non-covalent interactions between steps of native nucleic acids. In the presence of metal-mediated base pairs these non-covalent interactions are enriched by the metal-base interactions and the metallophilic attraction. The two interactions arising due to the metal linkage of the mismatches were found in this study to have a stabilizing effect on nucleic acid structure. The calculated data are consistent with recent experimental observations. The stabilization due to the metallophilic attraction seems to be a generally important concept for the nucleic acids containing heavy metals with short contacts.
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U2 - 10.1039/c0cp01534b
DO - 10.1039/c0cp01534b
M3 - Article
C2 - 21049099
AN - SCOPUS:78650115543
VL - 13
SP - 100
EP - 103
JO - Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics
JF - Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics
SN - 1463-9076
IS - 1
ER -