Covalent and non-covalent binding of metal complexes to RNA

Abstract

Targeting nucleic acids with metal complexes is an exciting and widely explored field of research. Following the discovery of the anticancer drug cisplatin, a number of metal complexes have been designed, synthesised, and tested for their DNA binding properties. On the contrary, the interaction of metal complexes with RNA has been much less investigated. RNA is an essential biomolecule, involved in a variety of crucial cellular functions, which offers a much wider structural diversity than DNA. As such, RNA represents an attractive target for the design and the development of structure-selective therapeutic and diagnostic agents. A few recent publications describe the ability of various metal complexes to interact with RNA, and the binding of cisplatin and derivatives to RNA is being currently investigated. This short review offers an overview of some recent advances on both covalent and non-covalent interactions of metal complexes with RNA and addresses the potential of targeting RNA non-duplex structures.