Metallocenes and their derivatives are promising anticancer drug candidates targeting nucleic acids. Information on the precise binding modes and preferred binding sites is still scarce. Tandem mass spectrometry constitutes a versatile method for the structural characterization of titanocene-oligonucleotide adducts.
The product ion spectra reveal a predominant interaction of titanocene with oxygen atoms of the phosphate groups adjacent to thymine nucleobases.

This work was carried out by Rahel Eberle in the group of Prof. Dr. Stefan Schürch.

References:

• R. P. Eberle, Y. Hari, S. Schürch;
  "Specific Interactions of Antitumor Metallocenes with Deoxydinucleotise Monophosphates"
  J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom., 2017, 28(9), 1901-1909; doi:10.1007/s13361-017-1697-9.
• R. P. Eberle, S. Schürch;
  "Titanocene Binding to Oligonucleotides"
  J. Inorg. Biochem., 2018, 184, 1-7; doi:10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2018.03.014.