Abstract: The invention provides conjugates of negatively charged peptide oligomers with therapeutic agents, moieties capable of recruiting endogenous bone-affecting agents, or imaging agents, useful for delivering the agents to bone tissue or calcified masses, and the methods of use thereof. The negatively charged peptide oligomers bind strongly but reversibly to bone tissue and calcified masses with a controllable affinity and retention time on the tissue or mass.

Abstract: Improved DNA structures are disclosed which contain target sequences which bind to control proteins (such as the CREB protein). The structures of the present invention are stable to degradation, and are effective as decoys for control proteins, making it possible to modulate the transcriptional control normally exerted by such control proteins. In addition, there is provided a method to reversibly crosslink oligonucleotides to polypeptides which recognize the oligonucleotide sequence. This method involves synthesizing DNA structures as described above, wherein one or more phosphorothioate diester linkages are incorporated into the resulting oligonucleotide, allowing the phosphorothioate diester-containing oligonucleotide to bind to polypeptides which recognize the sequence of said oligonucleotide, then contacting the polypeptide-bound oligonucleotide with a transition metal reagent.