Cross-linked nucleic acids: isolation, structure, and biological role.

This review includes literature data on main types of reagents inducing covalent cross-links of nucleic acids. Reactivity of cross-linking agents, preferable sites for their binding, and methods for determination of location of cross-links in duplex are discussed. Biological responses of cells to cross-linking in nucleic acids, i.e. replication and transcription blocking, onset of repair processes, and apoptotic cell death are considered, as well as application of cross-linking reagents as medicinal drugs for solving molecular-biological problems.