Chromium(III) interactions with nucleosides and nucleotides: a mass spectrometric study

Area of Science:

• Coordination Chemistry
• Mass Spectrometry
• Biophysical Chemistry

Background:

• Chromium complexes are investigated for their biological relevance.
• Understanding metal-nucleic acid interactions is crucial for drug design and understanding cellular processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the binding interactions of the chromium(III) complex [Cr(salprn)(H2O)2]ClO4 with various nucleosides and dinucleotides.
• To elucidate the binding sites and adduct formation using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Main Methods:

• Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was employed to study the reactions.
• Collisional activation (CA) mass spectrometry was used to analyze the fragmentation patterns of the formed adducts.

Main Results:

• The chromium complex formed 1:1 and 2:1 adducts with nucleosides, and 1:1 adducts with dinucleotides.
• Mass spectrometry data indicated that the chromium ion (Cr+) preferentially binds to the base moieties of nucleosides and nucleotides.
• Evidence suggests that sugar residues do not serve as binding sites, as evidenced by abundant sugar elimination in fragmentation spectra.

Conclusions:

• The chromium complex [Cr(salprn)](+) exhibits selective binding to the base components of nucleosides and nucleotides.
• The phosphate and base moieties, particularly cytosine and guanine, are key binding sites in dinucleotides.
• The findings contribute to understanding the coordination chemistry of chromium with DNA components.