Photocontrolled Binding of Styrylnaphthyridine Ligands to Abasic Site-Containing DNA by Reversible [2+2] Cycloaddition and Cycloreversion

Five novel styrylnaphthyridine derivatives were synthesized and shown to operate as photoswitchable, selective ligands for abasic site-containing DNA (AP-DNA), which is an important therapeutic and diagnostic target. These compounds associate with AP-DNA with binding constants of 0.5-8.4×104 M-1 as shown by photometric and fluorimetric titrations. Specifically, these ligands bind preferentially to AP-DNA relative to regularly paired duplex DNA. As a special feature, the association of these ligands with DNA can be controlled by means of a reversible [2+2] photocycloaddition. Upon irradiation at 420 nm the photodimer is formed, which does not bind to AP-DNA. In turn, the naphthyridine is regained with excitation at 315 nm. Most notably, this photoinduced deactivation and release of the DNA ligand can be performed in situ in the presence of AP-DNA, thus providing a tool for on-demand delivery of a DNA binder. Overall, these results provide a promising starting point for the development of functional AP-DNA ligands whose bioactivity can be modulated by light with local and temporal control.

Bright NIR-Emitting Styryl Pyridinium Dyes with Large Stokes' Shift for Sensing Applications

Two NIR-emitting donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) type regioisomeric styryl pyridinium dyes (1a-1b) were synthesized and studied for their photophysical performance and environment sensitivity. The two regioisomers, 1a and 1b, exhibited interesting photophysical properties including, longer wavelength excitation (λex ≈ 530-560 nm), bright near-infrared emission (λem ≈ 690-720 nm), high-fluorescence quantum yields (ϕfl ≈ 0.24-0.72) large Stokes' shift (∆λ ≈ 150-240 nm) and high-environmental sensitivity. Probe's photophysical properties were studied in different environmental conditions such as polarity, viscosity, temperature, and concentration. Probes (1a-1b) exhibited noticeable changes in absorbance, emission and Stokes' shift while responding to the changes in physical environment. Probe 1b exhibited a significant bathochromic shift in optical spectra (∆λ ≈ 20-40 nm) compared to its isomer 1a, due to the regio-effect. Probes (1a-1b) exhibited an excellent ability to visualize bacteria (Bacillus megaterium, Escherichia coli), and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) via fluorescence microscopy.

Ligands for Abasic Site-containing DNA and their Use as Fluorescent Probes

Apurinic and apyrimidinic sites, also referred to as abasic or AP sites, are residues of duplex DNA in which one DNA base is removed from a Watson-Crick base pair. They are formed during the enzymatic repair of DNA and offer binding sites for a variety of guest molecules. Specifically, the AP site may bind an appropriate ligand as a substitute for the missing nucleic base, thus stabilizing the abasic site-containing DNA (AP-DNA). Notably, ligands that bind selectively to abasic sites may be employed for analytical and therapeutical purposes. As a result, there is a search for structural features that establish a strong and selective association of a given ligand with the abasic position in DNA. Against this background, this review provides an overview of the different classes of ligands for abasic site-containing DNA (AP-DNA). This review covers covalently binding substrates, namely amine and oxyamine derivatives, as well as ligands that bind to AP-DNA by noncovalent association, as represented by small heterocyclic aromatic compounds, metal-organic complexes, macrocyclic cyclophanes, and intercalator-nucleobase conjugates. As the systematic development of fluorescent probes for AP-DNA has been somewhat neglected so far, this review article contains a survey of the available reports on the fluorimetric response of the ligand upon binding to the AP-DNA. Based on these data, this compilation shall present a perspective for future developments of fluorescent probes for AP-DNA.

NBD-based synthetic probes for sensing small molecules and proteins: design, sensing mechanisms and biological applications

Compounds with a nitrobenzoxadiazole (NBD) skeleton exhibit prominent useful properties including environmental sensitivity, high reactivity toward amines and biothiols (including H2S) accompanied by distinct colorimetric and fluorescent changes, fluorescence-quenching ability, and small size, all of which facilitate biomolecular sensing and self-assembly. Amines are important biological nucleophiles, and the unique activity of NBD ethers with amines has allowed for site-specific protein labelling and for the detection of enzyme activities. Both H2S and biothiols are involved in a wide range of physiological processes in mammals, and misregulation of these small molecules is associated with numerous diseases including cancers. In this review, we focus on NBD-based synthetic probes as advanced chemical tools for biomolecular sensing. Specifically, we discuss the sensing mechanisms and selectivity of the probes, the design strategies for multi-reactable multi-quenching probes, and the associated biological applications of these important constructs. We also highlight self-assembled NBD-based probes and outline future directions for NBD-based chemosensors. We hope that this comprehensive review will facilitate the development of future probes for investigating and understanding different biological processes and aid the development of potential theranostic agents.

Chloro-Substituted Naphthyridine Derivative and Its Conjugate with Thiazole Orange for Highly Selective Fluorescence Sensing of an Orphan Cytosine in the AP Site-Containing Duplexes

Fluorescent probes with the binding selectivity to specific structures in DNAs or RNAs have gained much attention as useful tools for the study of nucleic acid functions. Here, chloro-substituted 2-amino-5,7-dimethyl-1,8-naphthyridine (ClNaph) was developed as a strong and highly selective binder for target orphan cytosine opposite an abasic (AP) site in the DNA duplexes. ClNaph was then conjugated with thiazole orange (TO) via an alkyl spacer (ClNaph–TO) to design a light-up probe for the detection of cytosine-related mutations in target DNA. In addition, we found the useful binding and fluorescence signaling of the ClNaph–TO conjugate to target C in AP site-containing DNA/RNA hybrid duplexes with a view toward sequence analysis of microRNAs.

RNA imaging by chemical probes

Sequence-specific detection of intracellular RNA is one of the most important approaches to understand life phenomena. However, it is difficult to detect RNA in living cells because of its variety and scarcity. In the last three decades, several chemical probes have been developed for RNA detection in living cells. These probes are composed of DNA or artificial nucleic acid and hybridize with the target RNA in a sequence-specific manner. This hybridization triggers a change of fluorescence or a chemical reaction. In this review, we classify the probes according to the associated fluorogenic mechanism, that is, interaction between fluorophore and quencher, environmental change of fluorophore, and template reaction with/without ligation. In addition, we introduce examples of RNA imaging in living cells.

A fluorescent method based on magnetic nanoparticles for detection of CGG trinucleotide repeat genes

A novel fluorescent sensor based on magnetic nanoparticles as the separator and short report DNA was designed and prepared for the detection of d(CGG)_ntrinucleotide repeats. The method exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity, and excellent linear correlation from 100 pM to 150 nM, which is useful for the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases.

Bivalent Display of Dicysteine on Peptide Nucleic Acids for Homogenous DNA/RNA Detection through in Situ Fluorescence Labelling

Fluorogenic probes that signal the presence of specific DNA or RNA sequences are key enabling tools for molecular disease diagnosis and imaging studies. Usually, at least one fluorophore is attached through covalent bonding to an oligonucleotide probe. However, the additional conjugation step increases costs. Here we introduce a method that avoids the requirement for the preparation of fluorescence-labelled oligonucleotides and provides the opportunity to alter the fluorogenic reporter dye without resynthesis. The method is based on adjacent hybridization of two dicysteine-containing peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes to form a bipartite tetracysteine motif that binds profluorescent bisarsenical dyes such as FIAsH, ReAsH or CrAsH. Binding is accompanied by strong increases in fluorescence emission (with response factors of up to 80-fold and high brightness up to 50 mL mol^-1  cm^-1 ). The detection system provides sub-nanomolar limits of detection and allows discrimination of single nucleotide variations through more than 20-fold changes in fluorescence intensity. To demonstrate its usefulness, the FIAsH-based readout of the bivalent CysCys-PNA display was interfaced with a rolling-circle amplification (RCA) assay used to detect disease-associated microRNA let-7a.

Anodic Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence of Ru(bpy)3(2+) with CdSe Quantum Dots as Coreactant and Its Application in Quantitative Detection of DNA

In the present paper, we report that CdSe quantum dots (QDs) can act as the coreactant of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) in neutral condition. Strong anodic ECL signal was observed at ~1.10 V at CdSe QDs modified glassy carbon electrode (CdSe/GCE), which might be mainly attributed to the apparent electrocatalytic effect of QDs on the oxidation of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺. Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ can be intercalated into the loop of hairpin DNA through the electrostatic interaction to fabricate a probe. When the probe was bound to the CdSe QDs modified on the GCE, the intense ECL signal was obtained. The more Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ can be intercalated when DNA loop has larger diameter and the stronger ECL signal can be observed. The loop of hairpin DNA can be opened in the presence of target DNA to release the immobilized Ru(bpy)₃²⁺, which can result in the decrease of ECL signal. The decreased ECL signal varied linearly with the concentration of target DNA, which showed the ECL biosensor can be used in the sensitive detection of DNA. The proposed ECL biosensor showed an excellent performance with high specificity, wide linear range and low detection limit.

Suspension arrays based on nanoparticle-encoded microspheres for high-throughput multiplexed detection

Spectrometrically or optically encoded microsphere based suspension array technology (SAT) is applicable to the high-throughput, simultaneous detection of multiple analytes within a small, single sample volume. Thanks to the rapid development of nanotechnology, tremendous progress has been made in the multiplexed detecting capability, sensitivity, and photostability of suspension arrays. In this review, we first focus on the current stock of nanoparticle-based barcodes as well as the manufacturing technologies required for their production. We then move on to discuss all existing barcode-based bioanalysis patterns, including the various labels used in suspension arrays, label-free platforms, signal amplification methods, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based platforms. We then introduce automatic platforms for suspension arrays that use superparamagnetic nanoparticle-based microspheres. Finally, we summarize the current challenges and their proposed solutions, which are centered on improving encoding capacities, alternative probe possibilities, nonspecificity suppression, directional immobilization, and "point of care" platforms. Throughout this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive guide for the design of suspension arrays, with the goal of improving their performance in areas such as multiplexing capacity, throughput, sensitivity, and cost effectiveness. We hope that our summary on the state-of-the-art development of these arrays, our commentary on future challenges, and some proposed avenues for further advances will help drive the development of suspension array technology and its related fields.

Rational design for cooperative recognition of specific nucleobases using β-cyclodextrin-modified DNAs and fluorescent ligands on DNA and RNA scaffolds

We propose a binary fluorimetric method for DNA and RNA analysis by the combined use of two probes rationally designed to work cooperatively. One probe is an oligonucleotide (ODN) conjugate bearing a β-cyclodextrin (β-CyD). The other probe is a small reporter ligand, which comprises linked molecules of a nucleobase-specific heterocycle and an environment-sensitive fluorophore. The heterocycle of the reporter ligand recognizes a single nucleobase displayed in a gap on the target labeled with the conjugate and, at the same time, the fluorophore moiety forms a luminous inclusion complex with nearby β-CyD. Three reporter ligands, MNDS (naphthyridine-dansyl linked ligand), MNDB (naphthyridine-DBD), and DPDB (pyridine-DBD), were used for DNA and RNA probing with 3'-end or 5'-end modified β-CyD-ODN conjugates. For the DNA target, the β-CyD tethered to the 3'-end of the ODN facing into the gap interacted with the fluorophore sticking out into the major groove of the gap site (MNDS and DPDB). Meanwhile the β-CyD on the 5'-end of the ODN interacted with the fluorophore in the minor groove (MNDB and DPDB). The results obtained by this study could be a guideline for the design of binary DNA/RNA probe systems based on controlling the proximity of functional molecules.