Using a computer modeling approach, we proposed a structure for a potential GC-specific DNA ligand, which could form a complex with DNA in the minor groove similar to that formed by Hoechst 33258 at DNA AT-enriched sites. According to this model, MBoz2A, a bisbenzoxazole ligand, was synthesized. The results of spectrophotometric methods supported the complex formation of the compound under study with DNA differing in the nucleotide composition.
Keywords: DNA; Hoechst 33258; bisbenzoxazole structure; circular dichroism; minor-groove ligand; sequence-specificity; spectrophotometry; synthesis.