NUCLEIC-ACID LIGANDS BASED ON CARBOHYDRATES

Sequence-specific nucleic acid ligands are important tools in chemistr y and molecular biology and are thought, to possess a considerable pha rmaceutical potential. An overview of the structurally and mechanistic ally diverse approaches in the field with an emphasis on carbohydrates will be presented. Carbohydrates are just beginning to emerge as a no vel class of nucleic acid binding compounds. The detailed study of the factors affecting the site-selectivity of some recently discovered an titumor antibiotics, e.g. calicheamicin, has shed a new light on the r ole that oligosaccharides may play in nucleic acid recognition. Unders tanding these factors may aid in the rational design of novel nucleic acid ligands and their therapeutic application.