[Characteristics of the circular dichroism spectra of liquid crystals formed from DNA complexes with antibiotics].

Compact particles were formed from low molecular DNA in water-salt solutions (0.3 M NaCl, pH 6.7) containing polyethylene glycol. The DNA molecules in these particles were in the mesophase (liquid crystalline) state characterized by an intensive negative bond in the circular dichroism (CD) spectrum. Binding of DNA to anthracycline antibiotics (daunomycin, aclacynomycin), oligopeptide antibiotics (distamycin, nethropcin) and ethidium bromide with subsequent formation of liquid crystals from such complexes was accompanied by appearance of CD spectra with characteristic features of the respective antibiotic groups. The characteristic features of the CD spectra allowed distinguishing various antibiotics.