MIXED LIGAND COMPLEXES AND USES THEREOF AS BINDING AGENTS AND PROBES TO DNA

摘要

MIXED LIGAND COMPLEXES AND USES THEREOF AS BINDING AGENTS TO DNA This invention concerns a coordination complex or salt thereof which is spectroscopically or photoactively determinable when bound to DNA having the formula , wherein M is a suitable transition metal and each of R1, R2 and R3 is ethylenediamine, bipyridine, phenanthroline, diazafluorene-9-one or a substituted derivative thereof, or phenanthrenequinonediimine or a substituted derivative thereof, dypyridophenazine or a substituted derivative thereof; wherein R1, R2 and R3 are bound to M by coordination bonds; provided that at least one of R1, R2 or R3 is dypyridophenazine or a substituted derivative thereof. The invention also concerns a labeled DNA probe which comprises the complex covalently bound to the DNA probe. Further the invention concerns a method of detecting the presence in a sample a target DNA of interest which comprises contacting the sample containing the target DNA with a complementary labeled DNA probe under hybridizing conditions and measuring the resulting luminescence emmited from the labeled DNA probe, a change in the luminescense as compared with the luminescense in the absence of the sample indicating the prescence of the target DNA.