Abasic sites and single base bulges are thermodynamically destabilizing DNA defects that can lead to cancerous transformations if left unrepaired by the cell. Here we discuss the binding properties with abasic sites and single base bulges of Rh(bpy)_2(chrysi)^(3+), a complex previously shown to bind thermodynamically destabilized mismatch sites via metalloinsertion. Photocleavage experiments show that Rh(bpy)_2(chrysi)^(3+) selectively binds abasic sites with affinities of 1−4 × 10^6 M^(−1); specific binding is independent of unpaired base identity but is somewhat contingent on sequence context. Single base bulges are also selectively bound and cleaved, but in this case, the association constants are significantly lower (~10^5 M^(−1)), and the binding is dependent on both unpaired base identity and bulge sequence context. A wide variety of evidence, including strand scission asymmetry, binding enantiospecificity, and MALDI-TOF cleavage fragment analysis, suggests that Rh(bpy)_2(chrysi)^(3+) binds abasic sites, like mismatches, through insertion of the bulky chrysi ligand into the base pair stack from the minor groove side and ejection of the unpaired base. At single base bulge sites, a similar, though not identical, metalloinsertion mode is suggested. The recognition of abasic sites and single base bulges with bulky metalloinsertors holds promise for diagnostic and therapeutic applications
