Polycations. 5. Inducement of Ψ-DNA Circular Dichroism Signals for Duplex Deoxyribonucleotide Homopolymers by Polycationic Strings

Atypical circular dichroism intensity enhancements previously associated with Ψ-DNA condensates are reported for poly(dG–dC):poly(dG–dC) and poly(dA–dT):poly(dA–dT) upon addition to them of a polycationic string salt. Polycationic strings are organic species incorporating several cationic sites in a linear array through the molecule. The effect observed herein with a small molecule model system holds promise for elucidation of the structural details associated with Ψ-DNA condensate formation.