An overview of recent advances in duplex DNA recognition by small molecules

• Sayantan Bhaduri,
• Nihar Ranjan and
• Dev P. Arya

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 1051–1086, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.93

• and 10 with longer linkers exhibit relatively higher cytotoxicity in comparison to both distamycin and uramustine. The distamycin fragment directs binding to the A·T-rich sequences in the minor groove, and higher flexibility due to the longer linker allows optimal positioning of the mustard for DNA

• alkylation. In addition, longer linker imparts more lipophilicity, which in turn, favors better transportation of these compounds into the cells. Anthony et al. reported a series of short MGBs based on the lead compounds distamycin and thiazotropsins with the installation of hydrophobic aromatic head groups

Reversibly locked thionucleobase pairs in DNA to study base flipping enzymes

• Christine Beuck and
• Elmar Weinhold

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2014, 10, 2293–2306, doi:10.3762/bjoc.10.239

• lesion, e.g., other DNA methyltransferases [9][10], DNA demethylases like the AlkB family [11], DNA alkyltransferases that are essential to DNA alkylation damage repair [12][13], DNA glycosylases from the base excision repair pathway [14][15][16], and photolyases repairing UV damage in DNA [17]. DNA

Parallel and four-step synthesis of natural-product-inspired scaffolds through modular assembly and divergent cyclization

• Hiroki Oguri,
• Haruki Mizoguchi,
• Hideaki Oikawa,
• Aki Ishiyama,
• Masato Iwatsuki,
• Kazuhiko Otoguro and
• Satoshi Ōmura

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2012, 8, 930–940, doi:10.3762/bjoc.8.105

• electrophilic iminium species, which allow covalent bond formation with biomacromolecules (nucleic acids, proteins) in a cellular environment, and thereby play pivotal roles in defining their biological activities [28][29]. As a mechanistic rationale for the antitumor activities of quinocarcins, DNA alkylation

Fine-tuning alkyne cycloadditions: Insights into photochemistry responsible for the double-strand DNA cleavage via structural perturbations in diaryl alkyne conjugates

• Wang-Yong Yang,
• Samantha A. Marrone,
• Nalisha Minors,
• Diego A. R. Zorio and
• Igor V. Alabugin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2011, 7, 813–823, doi:10.3762/bjoc.7.93

• cytotoxicity) value of 1.49 × 10−7 M. Keywords: cancer cell proliferation assay; DNA alkylation; lysine conjugate; photocycloaddition; photo-DNA cleavage; plasmid relaxation assay; triplet excitation; Introduction Triggering chemical processes with light offers numerous practical advantages. Not only does

• from the singlet excited state. The relative contribution of these two pathways should be reflected in two different mechanisms of DNA damage, i.e., oxidative DNA cleavage versus DNA alkylation. In the present paper, we investigate the reactivity of three isomeric aryl-TFP alkynes with the amide

Mitomycins syntheses: a recent update

• Jean-Christophe Andrez

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2009, 5, No. 33, doi:10.3762/bjoc.5.33

• ), D-glucosamine 21 and carbamoyl phosphate (Scheme 4) [29][30][31][32]. The key intermediate, AHBA, is also a common precursor to other anticancer drugs, such as rifamycin and ansamycin. 2.2. Mode of action Mitomycins are quinone antitumor antibiotics that exert their biological activity through DNA

• alkylation and cross-linking. The success of mitomycin C in cancer treatment is due to a great cytotoxic selectivity for hypoxic (O2-deficient) cells characteristic of solid tumors [33][34]. Mitomycin C itself is indeed relatively unreactive toward DNA [35][36] but becomes remarkably reactive upon reduction