Substitution of natural nucleobases with different types of ligands in PNA oligomers makes possible the incorporation of diverse metal ions at predefined positions within PNA duplexes. In this study, both 8-hydroxyquinoline and 2,2'-bipyridine ligands were introduced in a 10-base PNA duplex, thus creating a  system in which the position of the copper ion depends on the oxidation state. The shift in the position of one equivalent of copper ion between the two ligand stations was triggered by oxidation or reduction, due to the different stability constants of the metal complexes formed between the ligands and the copper ions in different oxidation states. This PNA-based molecular switch has a simple modular design with building blocks made of PNA monomers.

Molecular switch based on peptide nucleic acid

245th National Meeting (2013)

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