Probing DNA charge transport with metallointercalators

A wide range of experiments have emerged recently regarding charge transpor t through DNA, including spectroscopic studies of rates of DNA-mediated ele ctron transfer and biochemical studies of DNA base oxidation over long dist ances. These experiments have, in turn, led to new proposals about the way in which charge moves through DNA and have prompted the consideration of ph ysiological roles for DNA electron transfer. Importantly, metallointercalat ors have been key players in many of these experiments. Metallointercalator s provide critical probes to examine the migration of charge through the DN A base stack.