Peptide Nucleic Acid Conjugated with Ruthenium-Complex Stabilizing Double-Duplex Invasion Complex Even Under Physiological Conditions

Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) can form a stable duplex with DNA, and, accordingly, directly recognize double-stranded DNA through the formation of a double-duplex invasion complex, wherein a pair of complementary PNA strands form two PNA/DNA duplexes. Because invasion does not require prior denaturation of DNA, PNA holds great potential for in cellulo or in vivo applications. To broaden the applicability of PNA invasion, we developed a new conjugate of PNA with a ruthenium complex. This Ru-PNA conjugate exhibits higher DNA-binding affinity, which results in enhanced invasion efficiency, even under physiological conditions.