title: Stepwise evolution of the structure and electronic properties of DNA.
abstract: The optical properties of a family of duplex DNA conjugates possessing from 1 to 11 A:T base pairs and covalently attached stilbene chromophores at both ends have been investigated. As few as from two to four base bairs are needed to establish base-pair absorption and circular dichroism spectra similar to those of longer oligomers. The stilbene chromophores exhibit exciton-coupled circular dichroism, which can be observed even with 11 intervening base pairs, a distance of ca. 40 A. The dependence of the sign and amplitude of these spectra reveals the ability of B-DNA to serve as a helical ruler.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3113, USA. lewis@chem.northwestern.edu
authors.forename: Frederick D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Xiaoyang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yansheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xiaobing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zuo
mesh_terms: D002942:Circular Dichroism; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry; D011061:Poly A / Q000737:chemistry; D011071:Poly T / Q000737:chemistry; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013267:Stilbenes / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D009841:Oligonucleotides; D013267:Stilbenes; D011061:Poly A; D011071:Poly T; C008950:poly A-T; D004247:DNA