Molecular recognition and chemical. modification of DNA are important in medicinal chemistry, toxicology, and biotechnology. Historically, natural products have revealed many interesting and unexpected mechanisms for noncovalent DNA binding and covalent DNA modification. The studies reported here characterize the molecular mechanisms underlying the efficient alkylation of duplex DNA by the Streptomyces-derived natural product leinamycin. Previous studies suggested that alkylation of duplex DNA by activated leinamycin (2) is driven by noncovalent association of the natural product with the double helix. This is striking because leinamycin does not contain a classical noncovalent DNA binding Motif, such as an intercalating unit, a groove binder, or a polycation. The experiments described here provide evidence that leinamycin is an atypical DNA intercalating agent. A competition binding assay involving daunomycin-mediated inhibition of DNA alkylation by leinamycin provided evidence that activated leinamycin binds to duplex DNA with an apparent binding constant of approximately 4.3 +/- 0.4 x 10(3) M-1. Activated leinamycin caused duplex unwinding and hydrodynamic;changes in DNA containing solutions that are indicative of :DNA intercalation. Characterization of the reaction of activated leinamycin with Palindromic duplexes containing and 5'-GC target sites, bulge containing duplexes, and 5-methylcytosine-containing duplexes. Provided evidence regarding the orientation of leinamycin with respect to target guanine residues. The data allow construction of a model for the leinamycin DNA complex suggesting how a modest DNA-binding constant combines with proper positioning of the natural product to drive efficient alkylation of guanine residues in the major groove of duplex DNA.