title: Synthesis and optical behaviors of 6-seleno-deoxyguanosine.
abstract: We have developed a simple method to synthesize 6-seleno-2'-deoxyguanosine (SedG) by selectively replacing the 6-oxygen atom with selenium. This selenium-atom-specific modification (SAM) alters the optical properties of the naturally occurring 2'-deoxyguanosine (dG). Unlike the native dG, the UVabsorption ofSedG is significantly influenced by the pH of the aqueous solution. Moreover,SedG is fluorescent at the physiological pH and exhibits pH-dependent fluorescence in aqueous solutions. Furthermore,SedG has noticeable fluorescence in non-aqueous solutions, indicating its sensitivity to environmental changes. This is the first time a fluorescent nucleoside by single-atom alteration has been observed. Fluorescent nucleosides modified by a single atom have great potential as molecular probes with minimal perturbations to investigate nucleoside interactions with proteins, such as membrane-transporter proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
authors.forename: Kaur
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Manindar
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
authors.forename: Huang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhen
keywords: RNA; fluorescent DNA; nucleic acid probes; nucleoside with single-atom modification; selenium derivatization and fluorescence