DNA-BINDING AND CLEAVAGE BY A CATIONIC MANGANESE PORPHYRIN-PEPTIDE NUCLEIC-ACID CONJUGATE

A cationic manganese porphyrin-peptide nucleic acid (PNA) conjugate ha s been prepared and used to cleave a double-stranded DNA target. Cleav age experiments were performed with a 247-base pair restriction DNA fr agment containing a 10-base pair homopurine binding target for the PNA . Oxidative activation by this Mn porphyrin-PNA conjugate leads to seq uence specific, 3'-staggered cleavage of both DNA strands near the str and displacement junction. Furthermore, the Mn porphyrin-PNA porphyrin conjugates bind over 100-fold better to double-stranded DNA compared to the native PNA.