Hydrolysis of Double-Stranded and Single-Stranded RNA in Hairpin Structures by the Copper(II) Macrocycle Cu([9]aneN₃)Cl₂

A copper(II) macrocycle functions as an artificial ribonuclease. Cu([9]aneN3)Cl2 hydrolyzes both a 20-base RNA hairpin oligonucleotide and a 31-base sequence of TAR, an RNA sequence found in HIV. The cleavage reaction does not depend on interactions with specific nucleotide bases, and both single-stranded and double-stranded regions of the RNA are cleaved. Moreover, the cleavage of RNA by Cu([9]aneN3)Cl2 proceeds via a hydrolytic mechanism.