Charge Migration along the DNA Duplex: Hole versus Electron Transport

摘要

DNA-mediated charge transport (CT) to promote oxidative or reductive chemistry from a distance is currently of great interest. This process has been characterized through many experiments, from time-resolved spectroscopic measurements to biochemical assays. For DNA-mediated CT, the nature of the charge donor and acceptor, their coupling to the base stack and energetics, as well as the integrity of the intervening base stack have been found to be critical. As a result, DNA-mediated CT provides a means to detect perturbations in base pair stacking as arise with base mismatches, lesions, and protein binding. In fact, this sensitivity in DNA CT to stacking has led to the proposal that DNA CT may play a role in detecting DNA damage within the cell.