Complexes of silver ion with natural and synthetic polynucleotides

Abstract A study of silver‐ion binding by nucleic acids and synthetic ribo and deoxyribopolynucleotides, has been carried out by means of potentiometric titration, thermal transition, and difference spectra. It is clearly demonstrated that a strong complex between Ag + and nitrogen atoms of bases is made reversibly. Binding constants and site numbers are determined for each type of polynucleotide. Base reactivity varies strongly with chain length, and a cooperative phenomenon is found in each case. Two successive complexes with DNA are seen in all the three techniques, and they have the same characteristics as complexes with respectively poly‐dGC and poly dAT. In the first complex, Ag + is linked to four bases, provided two of them are a G‐C pair. Calculated and experimental values of site numbers agree very well for DNA of different G‐C content. Thermal stabilization occurs simultaneously, and the increase of melting temperature corresponds to calculated changes of stacking energy between base pairs. In the second complex a new ordered structure insensitive to temperature is formed, with simultaneous release of protons. The stoichiometry can be related to base sequence. Complexing with silver increases the resistance of TMV RNA to both temperature and ribonuclease; a tentative explanation is given in the latter case.