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The photoreaction mechanism of [Ru(TAP)(2)(phen)](2+) and [Ru(TAP)(3)](2+) (TAP = 1,4,5,8-tetraazaphenanthrene) with tryptophan (Trp), N-acetyl-Trp, and Lys-Trp-Lys is examined. The existence of a photoelectron-transfer process from the amino acid unit is demonstrated by laser flash photolysis experiments. The back electron transfer (BET) from the reduced complex to the oxidized amino acid, occurring at the microsecond time scale, corresponds approximately to an equimolecular-bimolecular process; however, it is disturbed by another reaction, originating from the oxidized Trp. Moreover, in competition with the BET, the reduced and oxidized intermediates give rise to an adduct. The latter is clearly detected by gel electrophoresis experiments in denaturing conditions, with a system composed of an oligonucleotide derivatized at the 3' end by the Ru(II)TAP complex and hybridized with the complementary sequence functionalized at the 5' end by the tripeptide Lys-Trp-Lys. Thus, upon illumination, a cross-linking between the two strands is observed, which originates from the presence of a Trp residue.

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Ru(II)-TAP complexes have been shown to be very attractive compounds in the frame of developments of new anticancer drugs targeting the genetic material. This increasing interest originates from observations of covalent bond formations, triggered by photo-induced electron transfer (PET) between Ru(II)-TAP complexes and guanine bases of DNA. This photoreaction has recently been extended to the tryptophan (Trp) amino acid for future applications involving peptides. Thus, a double photo-addition of Trp residues of peptides on Ru(II) complexes is demonstrated by mass spectrometry with some structural issues. Such bi-adduct formations offer the possibility of photocrosslinking two Trp-containing biomolecules, which is investigated in this study. Thus, photocrosslinking between two complementary oligonucleotides (ODNs) derivatized by Trp-containing tripeptides is demonstrated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) in the presence of Ru(II)-TAP complexes. Both PAGE and MS indicate that such photocrosslinkings arise from two reaction pathways: either via the double addition of Trp residues on the Ru complex or from dimerization of Trp radicals. The competition between these two pathways depends on the experimental conditions. Heterobridgings between guanine bases and tryptophan residues mediated by Ru(II)-TAP complexes is also examined, opening the way to ODN-peptide photocrosslinkings.

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