The importance of metal geometry in the recognition of G-quadruplex-DNA by metal-terpyridine complexes

A family of terpyridine metallo-organic complexes has been designed and its recognition properties of G-quadruplex-DNA investigated. The series combines easy synthetic access and good affinity–selectivity ratio for quadruplex-DNA. Our study also highlights that the geometry of the metal center strongly governs the ability of the compounds to discriminate quadruplex from duplex-DNA.