Chemodosimeter for CuII Detection Based on Cyclic Peptide Nucleic Acids

Copper-sensitive cycle: A cyclic peptide nucleic acid (PNA) that does not bind DNA and RNA can be prepared by placing an optimized linker between the termini. CuII ions, but not other tested metal ions, catalyze the transformation of the cyclic PNA into the linear PNA, which is a strong binder of nucleic acids (see picture). This effect is used for the fluorimetric detection of CuII. ssDNA=single-stranded DNA