title: Interaction of carbocyanine dyes with DNA: synthesis and spectroscopic studies.
abstract: Six carbocyanine dyes have been synthesized and their interactions with DNA have been investigated for their prospective use as fluorescent markers in molecular biology. The noncovalent binding of the compounds with DNA was explored by fluorescence spectroscopy, ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometry, and photobleaching. The electron-withdrawing ability of the substituents in N-position of free thio- and selenocarbocyanines strongly affected their photostabilities. Changes in the experimental conditions, such as the presence or absence of oxygen, had an impact on the rate of photobleaching. In the presence of DNA, absorbance photofading and fluorescence photobleaching occurred. It appears that the reduction of fluorescence intensity was due to quenching of the dye fluorescence by interaction with DNA.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemical Technology and Engineering, University of Technology and Life Sciences, Seminaryjna 3, 85-326 Bydgoszcz, Poland. beata@utp.edu.pl
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jędrzejewska
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bajorek
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moraczewska
mesh_terms: D002232:Carbocyanines / Q000737:chemistry*; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D004270:DNA, Circular / Q000737:chemistry*; D038761:Photobleaching; D010957:Plasmids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D002232:Carbocyanines; D004396:Coloring Agents; D004270:DNA, Circular