Interaction of selected gold(III) complexes with DNA G quadruplexes

The interactions of three representative gold(III) complexes with human telomeric DNA sequences were
analysed using a variety of biophysical methods, including DNA melting, circular dichroism, SPR and ESI
MS; remarkable interactions were highlighted for all tested complexes, although they were associated to
significantly different binding profiles. The most interesting compound was Auoxo6, a dinuclear gold(III)
complex, which beyond manifesting a conspicuous binding affinity for the G-quadruplex conformation,
turned out to be very effective in inducing a non-canonical secondary structure. These findings may clear
the way for novel biological and pharmacological applications of this class of metal compounds.