Biophysical chemistry of the daunomycin-DNA interaction

Daunomycin (daunorubicin) is a potent anticancer antibiotic that binds to DNA by the process of intercalation. Fundamental aspects of the physical chemistry of the daunomycin-DNA interaction are reviewed here, including the thermodynamics and kinetics of the binding reaction, and recent work that indicates that daunomycin binds preferentially to certain sites along the DNA lattice. The solution studies reviewed here combine with recent theoretical and crystallographic investigations to make the daunomycin-DNA interaction one of the best-characterized intercalation reactions. The molecular interactions that stabilize the daunomycin-DNA complex, and which contribute to its sequence preference, are discussed.