1
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Sorour MI, Kistler KA, Marcus AH, Matsika S. Molecular Dynamical and Quantum Mechanical Exploration of the Site-Specific Dynamics of Cy3 Dimers Internally Linked to dsDNA. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:7750-7760. [PMID: 39105720 PMCID: PMC11343064 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c03115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
Performing spectroscopic measurements on biomolecules labeled with fluorescent probes is a powerful approach to locating the molecular behavior and dynamics of large systems at specific sites within their local environments. The indocarbocyanine dye Cy3 has emerged as one of the most commonly used chromophores. The incorporation of Cy3 dimers into DNA enhances experimental resolution owing to the spectral characteristics influenced by the geometric orientation of excitonically coupled monomeric units. Various theoretical models and simulations have been utilized to aid in the interpretation of the experimental spectra. In this study, we employ all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to study the structural dynamics of Cy3 dimers internally linked to the dsDNA backbone. We used quantum mechanical calculations to derive insights from both the linear absorption spectra and the circular dichroism data. Furthermore, we explore potential limitations within a commonly used force field for cyanine dyes. The molecular dynamics simulations suggest the presence of four possible Cy3 dimeric populations. The spectral simulations on the four populations show one of them to agree better with the experimental signatures, suggesting it to be the dominant population. The relative orientation of Cy3 in this population compares very well with previous predictions from the Holstein-Frenkel Hamiltonian model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed I Sorour
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
| | - Kurt A Kistler
- Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, Brandywine Campus, Media, Pennsylvania 19063, United States
| | - Andrew H Marcus
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, United States
| | - Spiridoula Matsika
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
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2
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Heussman D, Enkhbaatar L, Sorour MI, Kistler KA, von Hippel PH, Matsika S, Marcus AH. Using transition density models to interpret experimental optical spectra of exciton-coupled cyanine (iCy3)2 dimer probes of local DNA conformations at or near functional protein binding sites. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:1272-1289. [PMID: 38050987 PMCID: PMC10853810 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Exciton-coupled chromophore dimers are an emerging class of optical probes for studies of site-specific biomolecular interactions. Applying accurate theoretical models for the electrostatic coupling of a molecular dimer probe is a key step for simulating its optical properties and analyzing spectroscopic data. In this work, we compare experimental absorbance and circular dichroism (CD) spectra of 'internally-labeled' (iCy3)2 dimer probes inserted site-specifically into DNA fork constructs to theoretical calculations of the structure and geometry of these exciton-coupled dimers. We compare transition density models of varying levels of approximation to determine conformational parameters of the (iCy3)2 dimer-labeled DNA fork constructs. By applying an atomistically detailed transition charge (TQ) model, we can distinguish between dimer conformations in which the stacking and tilt angles between planar iCy3 monomers are varied. A major strength of this approach is that the local conformations of the (iCy3)2 dimer probes that we determined can be used to infer information about the structures of the DNA framework immediately surrounding the probes at various positions within the constructs, both deep in the duplex DNA sequences and at sites at or near the DNA fork junctions where protein complexes bind to discharge their biological functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan Heussman
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Lulu Enkhbaatar
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Mohammed I Sorour
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Kurt A Kistler
- Department of Chemistry, Brandywine Campus, The Pennsylvania State University, Media, PA 19063, USA
| | - Peter H von Hippel
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | | | - Andrew H Marcus
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
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3
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Maurer J, Albrecht CS, Herbert P, Heussman D, Chang A, von Hippel PH, Marcus AH. Studies of DNA breathing in exciton-coupled (iCy3) 2 dimer-labeled DNA constructs by polarization-sweep single-molecule fluorescence (PS-SMF) microscopy. PROCEEDINGS OF SPIE--THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR OPTICAL ENGINEERING 2024; 12863:128630C. [PMID: 39149417 PMCID: PMC11326516 DOI: 10.1117/12.3001962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Local fluctuations of the sugar-phosphate backbones and bases of DNA (a form of DNA 'breathing') play a central role in the assembly of protein-DNA complexes. We present a single-molecule fluorescence method to sensitively measure the local conformational fluctuations of exciton-coupled cyanine [(iCy3)2] dimer-labeled DNA fork constructs in which the dimer probes are placed at varying positions relative to the DNA fork junction. These systems exhibit spectroscopic signals that are sensitive to the local conformations adopted by the sugar-phosphate backbones and bases immediately surrounding the dimer probe label positions. The (iCy3)2 dimer has one symmetric (+) and one anti-symmetric (-) exciton with respective transition dipole moments oriented perpendicular to one another. We excite single molecule samples using a continuous-wave, linearly polarized laser with its polarization direction rotated at a frequency of 1 MHz. The ensuing fluorescence signal is modulated as the laser polarization alternately excites the symmetric and anti-symmetric excitons of the (iCy3)2 dimer probe. Phase-sensitive detection of the signal at the photon-counting level provides information about the distribution of local conformations and conformational dynamics. We analyze our data using a kinetic network model, which we use to parametrize the free energy surface of the system. In addition to observing DNA breathing at and near ss-dsDNA junctions, the approach can be used to study the effects of proteins that bind and function at these sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Maurer
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Claire S Albrecht
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Patrick Herbert
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Dylan Heussman
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Anabel Chang
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Peter H von Hippel
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Andrew H Marcus
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
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4
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Albrecht CS, Scatena LF, von Hippel PH, Marcus AH. Two-photon excitation two-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy (2PE-2DFS) of the fluorescent nucleobase 6-MI. PROCEEDINGS OF SPIE--THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR OPTICAL ENGINEERING 2024; 12863:1286305. [PMID: 39149416 PMCID: PMC11326479 DOI: 10.1117/12.3001802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Base stacking is fundamentally important to the stability of double-stranded DNA. However, few experiments can directly probe the local conformations and conformational fluctuations of the DNA bases. Here we report a new spectroscopic approach to study the local conformations of DNA bases using the UV-absorbing fluorescent guanine analogue, 6-methyl isoxanthopterin (6-MI), which can be used as a site-specific probe to label DNA. In these experiments, we apply a two-photon excitation (2PE) approach to two-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy (2DFS), which is a fluorescence-detected nonlinear Fourier transform spectroscopy. In 2DFS, a repeating sequence of four collinear laser pulses (with center wavelength ~ 675 nm and relative phases swept at radio frequencies) is used to excite the lowest energy electronic-vibrational (vibronic) transitions of 6-MI (with center wavelength ~ 340 nm). The ensuing low flux fluorescence is phase-synchronously detected at the level of individual photons and as a function of inter-pulse delay. The 2PE transition pathways that give rise to electronically excited state populations include optical coherences between electronic ground and excited states and non-resonant (one-photon-excited) virtual states. Our results indicate that 2PE-2DFS experiments can provide information about the electronic-vibrational spectrum of the 6-MI monomer, in addition to the conformation-dependent exciton coupling between adjacent 6-MI monomers within a (6-MI)2 dimer. In principle, this approach can be used to determine the local base-stacking conformations of (6-MI)2 dimer-substituted DNA constructs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire S Albrecht
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Lawrence F Scatena
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Peter H von Hippel
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Andrew H Marcus
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
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5
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Maurer J, Albrecht CS, Herbert P, Heussman D, Chang A, von Hippel PH, Marcus AH. Studies of DNA 'Breathing' by Polarization-Sweep Single-Molecule Fluorescence Microscopy of Exciton-Coupled (iCy3) 2 Dimer-Labeled DNA Fork Constructs. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:10730-10748. [PMID: 38060691 PMCID: PMC10754251 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c06463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
Local fluctuations of the sugar-phosphate backbones and bases of DNA (often called DNA 'breathing') play a variety of critical roles in controlling the functional interactions of the DNA genome with the protein complexes that regulate it. Here, we present a single-molecule fluorescence method that we have used to measure and characterize such conformational fluctuations at and near biologically important positions in model DNA replication fork constructs labeled with exciton-coupled cyanine [(iCy3)2] dimer probes. Previous work has shown that the constructs that we tested here exhibit a broad range of spectral properties at the ensemble level, and these differences can be structurally and dynamically interpreted using our present methodology at the single-molecule level. The (iCy3)2 dimer has one symmetric (+) and one antisymmetric (-) exciton, with the respective transition dipole moments oriented perpendicular to one another. We excite single-molecule samples using a continuous-wave linearly polarized laser, with the polarization direction continuously rotated at the frequency of 1 MHz. The ensuing fluorescence signal is modulated as the laser polarization alternately excites the symmetric and antisymmetric excitons of the (iCy3)2 dimer probe. Phase-sensitive detection of the modulated signal provides information about the distribution of local conformations and the conformational interconversion dynamics of the (iCy3)2 probe. We find that at most construct positions that we examined, the (iCy3)2 dimer-labeled DNA fork constructs can adopt four topologically distinct conformational macrostates. These results suggest that in addition to observing DNA breathing at and near ss-dsDNA junctions, our new methodology should be useful to determine which of these pre-existing macrostates are recognized by, bind to, and are stabilized by various genome-regulatory proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Maurer
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Claire S. Albrecht
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Patrick Herbert
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Dylan Heussman
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Anabel Chang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Peter H. von Hippel
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Andrew H. Marcus
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
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6
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Sorour MI, Marcus AH, Matsika S. Unravelling the Origin of the Vibronic Spectral Signatures in an Excitonically Coupled Indocarbocyanine Cy3 Dimer. J Phys Chem A 2023; 127:9530-9540. [PMID: 37934679 PMCID: PMC10774018 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.3c06090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
The indocarbocyanine Cy3 dye is widely used to probe the dynamics of proteins and DNA. Excitonically coupled Cy3 dimers exhibit very unique spectral signatures that depend on the interchromophoric geometrical orientation induced by the environment, making them powerful tools to infer the dynamics of their surroundings. Understanding the origin of the dimeric spectral signatures is a necessity for an accurate interpretation of the experimental results. In this work, we simulate the vibronic spectrum of an experimentally well-studied Cy3 dimer, and we explain the origin of the experimental signatures present in its linear absorption spectrum. The Franck-Condon harmonic approximations, among other tests, are used to probe the factors contributing to the spectrum. It is found that the first peak in the absorption spectrum originates from the lower energy excitonic state, while the next two peaks are vibrational progressions of the higher energy excitonic state. The polar solvent plays a crucial role in the appearance of the spectrum, being responsible for the localized S1 minimum, which results in an increased intensity of the first peak.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed I Sorour
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
| | - Andrew H Marcus
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, United States
| | - Spiridoula Matsika
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
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7
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Mathur D, Díaz SA, Hildebrandt N, Pensack RD, Yurke B, Biaggne A, Li L, Melinger JS, Ancona MG, Knowlton WB, Medintz IL. Pursuing excitonic energy transfer with programmable DNA-based optical breadboards. Chem Soc Rev 2023; 52:7848-7948. [PMID: 37872857 PMCID: PMC10642627 DOI: 10.1039/d0cs00936a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
DNA nanotechnology has now enabled the self-assembly of almost any prescribed 3-dimensional nanoscale structure in large numbers and with high fidelity. These structures are also amenable to site-specific modification with a variety of small molecules ranging from drugs to reporter dyes. Beyond obvious application in biotechnology, such DNA structures are being pursued as programmable nanoscale optical breadboards where multiple different/identical fluorophores can be positioned with sub-nanometer resolution in a manner designed to allow them to engage in multistep excitonic energy-transfer (ET) via Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) or other related processes. Not only is the ability to create such complex optical structures unique, more importantly, the ability to rapidly redesign and prototype almost all structural and optical analogues in a massively parallel format allows for deep insight into the underlying photophysical processes. Dynamic DNA structures further provide the unparalleled capability to reconfigure a DNA scaffold on the fly in situ and thus switch between ET pathways within a given assembly, actively change its properties, and even repeatedly toggle between two states such as on/off. Here, we review progress in developing these composite materials for potential applications that include artificial light harvesting, smart sensors, nanoactuators, optical barcoding, bioprobes, cryptography, computing, charge conversion, and theranostics to even new forms of optical data storage. Along with an introduction into the DNA scaffolding itself, the diverse fluorophores utilized in these structures, their incorporation chemistry, and the photophysical processes they are designed to exploit, we highlight the evolution of DNA architectures implemented in the pursuit of increased transfer efficiency and the key lessons about ET learned from each iteration. We also focus on recent and growing efforts to exploit DNA as a scaffold for assembling molecular dye aggregates that host delocalized excitons as a test bed for creating excitonic circuits and accessing other quantum-like optical phenomena. We conclude with an outlook on what is still required to transition these materials from a research pursuit to application specific prototypes and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divita Mathur
- Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH 44106, USA
| | - Sebastián A Díaz
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Code 6900, USA.
| | - Niko Hildebrandt
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
- Department of Engineering Physics, McMaster University, Hamilton, L8S 4L7, Canada
| | - Ryan D Pensack
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA.
| | - Bernard Yurke
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA.
| | - Austin Biaggne
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA.
| | - Lan Li
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA.
- Center for Advanced Energy Studies, Idaho Falls, ID 83401, USA
| | - Joseph S Melinger
- Electronics Science and Technology Division, Code 6800, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA
| | - Mario G Ancona
- Electronics Science and Technology Division, Code 6800, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA
| | - William B Knowlton
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA.
| | - Igor L Medintz
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Code 6900, USA.
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8
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Mass OA, Watt DR, Patten LK, Pensack RD, Lee J, Turner DB, Yurke B, Knowlton WB. Exciton delocalization in a fully synthetic DNA-templated bacteriochlorin dimer. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:28437-28451. [PMID: 37843877 PMCID: PMC10599410 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp01634j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
A bacteriochlorophyll a (Bchla) dimer is a basic functional unit in the LH1 and LH2 photosynthetic pigment-protein antenna complexes of purple bacteria, where an ordered, close arrangement of Bchla pigments-secured by noncovalent bonding to a protein template-enables exciton delocalization at room temperature. Stable and tunable synthetic analogs of this key photosynthetic subunit could lead to facile engineering of exciton-based systems such as in artificial photosynthesis, organic optoelectronics, and molecular quantum computing. Here, using a combination of synthesis and theory, we demonstrate that exciton delocalization can be achieved in a dimer of a synthetic bacteriochlorin (BC) featuring stability, high structural modularity, and spectral properties advantageous for exciton-based devices. The BC dimer was covalently templated by DNA, a stable and highly programmable scaffold. To achieve exciton delocalization in the absence of pigment-protein interactions critical for the Bchla dimer, we relied on the strong transition dipole moment in BC enabled by two auxochromes along the Qy transition, and omitting the central metal and isocyclic ring. The spectral properties of the synthetic "free" BC closely resembled those of Bchla in an organic solvent. Applying spectroscopic modeling, the exciton delocalization in the DNA-templated BC dimer was evaluated by extracting the excitonic hopping parameter, J to be 214 cm-1 (26.6 meV). For comparison, the same method applied to the natural protein-templated Bchla dimer yielded J of 286 cm-1 (35.5 meV). The smaller value of J in the BC dimer likely arose from the partial bacteriochlorin intercalation and the difference in medium effect between DNA and protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga A Mass
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
| | - Devan R Watt
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
| | - Lance K Patten
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
| | - Ryan D Pensack
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
| | - Jeunghoon Lee
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
| | - Daniel B Turner
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
| | - Bernard Yurke
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
| | - William B Knowlton
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
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9
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Marcus AH, Heussman D, Maurer J, Albrecht CS, Herbert P, von Hippel PH. Studies of Local DNA Backbone Conformation and Conformational Disorder Using Site-Specific Exciton-Coupled Dimer Probe Spectroscopy. Annu Rev Phys Chem 2023; 74:245-265. [PMID: 36696590 PMCID: PMC10590263 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-physchem-090419-041204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The processes of genome expression, regulation, and repair require direct interactions between proteins and DNA at specific sites located at and near single-stranded-double-stranded DNA (ssDNA-dsDNA) junctions. Here, we review the application of recently developed spectroscopic methods and analyses that combine linear absorbance and circular dichroism spectroscopy with nonlinear 2D fluorescence spectroscopy to study the local conformations and conformational disorder of the sugar-phosphate backbones of ssDNA-dsDNA fork constructs that have been internally labeled with exciton-coupled cyanine (iCy3)2 dimer probes. With the application of these methods, the (iCy3)2 dimer can serve as a reliable probe of the mean local conformations and conformational distributions of the sugar-phosphate backbones of dsDNA at various critical positions. The results of our studies suggest a possible structural framework for understanding the roles of DNA breathing in driving the processes of protein-DNA complex assembly and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew H Marcus
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA;
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Dylan Heussman
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA;
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Jack Maurer
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA;
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Claire S Albrecht
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA;
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Patrick Herbert
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA;
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Peter H von Hippel
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
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10
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Plaza-G A I, Lemishko KM, Crespo R, Truong TQ, Kaguni LS, Cao-García FJ, Ciesielski GL, Ibarra B. Mechanism of strand displacement DNA synthesis by the coordinated activities of human mitochondrial DNA polymerase and SSB. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:1750-1765. [PMID: 36744436 PMCID: PMC9976888 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Many replicative DNA polymerases couple DNA replication and unwinding activities to perform strand displacement DNA synthesis, a critical ability for DNA metabolism. Strand displacement is tightly regulated by partner proteins, such as single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) binding proteins (SSBs) by a poorly understood mechanism. Here, we use single-molecule optical tweezers and biochemical assays to elucidate the molecular mechanism of strand displacement DNA synthesis by the human mitochondrial DNA polymerase, Polγ, and its modulation by cognate and noncognate SSBs. We show that Polγ exhibits a robust DNA unwinding mechanism, which entails lowering the energy barrier for unwinding of the first base pair of the DNA fork junction, by ∼55%. However, the polymerase cannot prevent the reannealing of the parental strands efficiently, which limits by ∼30-fold its strand displacement activity. We demonstrate that SSBs stimulate the Polγ strand displacement activity through several mechanisms. SSB binding energy to ssDNA additionally increases the destabilization energy at the DNA junction, by ∼25%. Furthermore, SSB interactions with the displaced ssDNA reduce the DNA fork reannealing pressure on Polγ, in turn promoting the productive polymerization state by ∼3-fold. These stimulatory effects are enhanced by species-specific functional interactions and have significant implications in the replication of the human mitochondrial DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismael Plaza-G A
- Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados en Nanociencia, IMDEA Nanociencia, Faraday 9, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Kateryna M Lemishko
- Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados en Nanociencia, IMDEA Nanociencia, Faraday 9, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Rodrigo Crespo
- Departamento de Estructura de la Materia, Física Térmica y Electrónica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Pza. de Ciencias, 1, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Thinh Q Truong
- Department of Chemistry, Auburn University at Montgomery, Montgomery, AL 36117, USA
| | - Laurie S Kaguni
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Center for Mitochondrial Science and Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
| | - Francisco J Cao-García
- Departamento de Estructura de la Materia, Física Térmica y Electrónica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Pza. de Ciencias, 1, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Grzegorz L Ciesielski
- Department of Chemistry, Auburn University at Montgomery, Montgomery, AL 36117, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Center for Mitochondrial Science and Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
| | - Borja Ibarra
- Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados en Nanociencia, IMDEA Nanociencia, Faraday 9, 28049 Madrid, Spain.,Nanobiotecnología (IMDEA-Nanociencia), Unidad Asociada al Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain
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11
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Díaz SA, Pascual G, Patten LK, Roy SK, Meares A, Chiriboga M, Susumu K, Knowlton WB, Cunningham PD, Mathur D, Yurke B, Medintz IL, Lee J, Melinger JS. Towards control of excitonic coupling in DNA-templated Cy5 aggregates: the principal role of chemical substituent hydrophobicity and steric interactions. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:3284-3299. [PMID: 36723027 PMCID: PMC9932853 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr05544a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Understanding and controlling exciton coupling in dye aggregates has become a greater focus as potential applications such as coherent exciton devices, nanophotonics, and biosensing have been proposed. DNA nanostructure templates allow for a powerful modular approach. Using DNA Holliday junction (HJ) templates variations of dye combinations and precision dye positions can be rapidly assayed, as well as creating aggregates of dyes that could not be prepared (either due to excess or lack of solubility) through alternative means. Indodicarbocyanines (Cy5) have been studied in coupled systems due to their large transition dipole moment, which contributes to strong coupling. Cy5-R dyes were recently prepared by chemically modifying the 5,5'-substituents of indole rings, resulting in varying dye hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity, steric considerations, and electron-donating/withdrawing character. We utilized Cy5-R dyes to examine the formation and properties of 30 unique DNA templated homodimers. We find that in our system the sterics of Cy5-R dyes play the determining factor in orientation and coupling strength of dimers, with coupling strengths ranging from 50-138 meV. The hydrophobic properties of the Cy5-R modify the percentage of dimers formed, and have a secondary role in determining the packing characteristics of the dimers when sterics are equivalent. Similar to other reports, we find that positioning of the Cy5-R within the HJ template can favor particular dimer interactions, specifically oblique or H-type dimers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián A Díaz
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering Code 6900, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States.
| | - Gissela Pascual
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
| | - Lance K Patten
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
| | - Simon K Roy
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
| | - Adam Meares
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering Code 6900, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States.
| | - Matthew Chiriboga
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering Code 6900, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States.
- Volgenau School of Engineering, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, USA
| | - Kimihiro Susumu
- Optical Sciences Division, Code 5600, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, USA
- Jacobs Corporation, Hanover, MD, USA
| | - William B Knowlton
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
| | - Paul D Cunningham
- Electronics Science and Technology Division Code 6800, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, USA.
| | - Divita Mathur
- Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Bernard Yurke
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
| | - Igor L Medintz
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering Code 6900, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States.
| | - Jeunghoon Lee
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
| | - Joseph S Melinger
- Electronics Science and Technology Division Code 6800, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, USA.
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12
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Wright N, Huff JS, Barclay MS, Wilson CK, Barcenas G, Duncan KM, Ketteridge M, Obukhova OM, Krivoshey AI, Tatarets AL, Terpetschnig EA, Dean JC, Knowlton WB, Yurke B, Li L, Mass OA, Davis PH, Lee J, Turner DB, Pensack RD. Intramolecular Charge Transfer and Ultrafast Nonradiative Decay in DNA-Tethered Asymmetric Nitro- and Dimethylamino-Substituted Squaraines. J Phys Chem A 2023; 127:1141-1157. [PMID: 36705555 PMCID: PMC9923757 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c06442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Molecular (dye) aggregates are a materials platform of interest in light harvesting, organic optoelectronics, and nanoscale computing, including quantum information science (QIS). Strong excitonic interactions between dyes are key to their use in QIS; critically, properties of the individual dyes govern the extent of these interactions. In this work, the electronic structure and excited-state dynamics of a series of indolenine-based squaraine dyes incorporating dimethylamino (electron donating) and/or nitro (electron withdrawing) substituents, so-called asymmetric dyes, were characterized. The dyes were covalently tethered to DNA Holliday junctions to suppress aggregation and permit characterization of their monomer photophysics. A combination of density functional theory and steady-state absorption spectroscopy shows that the difference static dipole moment (Δd) successively increases with the addition of these substituents while simultaneously maintaining a large transition dipole moment (μ). Steady-state fluorescence and time-resolved absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies uncover a significant nonradiative decay pathway in the asymmetrically substituted dyes that drastically reduces their excited-state lifetime (τ). This work indicates that Δd can indeed be increased by functionalizing dyes with electron donating and withdrawing substituents and that, in certain classes of dyes such as these asymmetric squaraines, strategies may be needed to ensure long τ, e.g., by rigidifying the π-conjugated network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas
D. Wright
- †Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, ⊥Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, ○Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Jonathan S. Huff
- †Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, ⊥Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, ○Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Matthew S. Barclay
- †Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, ⊥Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, ○Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Christopher K. Wilson
- †Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, ⊥Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, ○Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - German Barcenas
- †Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, ⊥Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, ○Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Katelyn M. Duncan
- †Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, ⊥Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, ○Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Maia Ketteridge
- †Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, ⊥Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, ○Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Olena M. Obukhova
- SSI
“Institute for Single Crystals” of the National Academy
of Sciences of Ukraine, Kharkiv 61072, Ukraine
| | - Alexander I. Krivoshey
- SSI
“Institute for Single Crystals” of the National Academy
of Sciences of Ukraine, Kharkiv 61072, Ukraine
| | - Anatoliy L. Tatarets
- SSI
“Institute for Single Crystals” of the National Academy
of Sciences of Ukraine, Kharkiv 61072, Ukraine
| | | | - Jacob C. Dean
- Department
of Physical Science, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah 84720, United States
| | - William B. Knowlton
- †Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, ⊥Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, ○Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Bernard Yurke
- †Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, ⊥Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, ○Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Lan Li
- †Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, ⊥Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, ○Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States,Center
for
Advanced Energy Studies, Idaho
Falls, Idaho 83401, United States
| | - Olga A. Mass
- †Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, ⊥Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, ○Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Paul H. Davis
- †Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, ⊥Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, ○Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States,Center
for
Advanced Energy Studies, Idaho
Falls, Idaho 83401, United States
| | - Jeunghoon Lee
- †Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, ⊥Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, ○Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Daniel B. Turner
- †Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, ⊥Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, ○Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Ryan D. Pensack
- †Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, ⊥Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, ○Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States,
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13
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Mass OA, Basu S, Patten LK, Terpetschnig EA, Krivoshey AI, Tatarets AL, Pensack RD, Yurke B, Knowlton WB, Lee J. Exciton Chirality Inversion in Dye Dimers Templated by DNA Holliday Junction. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:10688-10696. [PMID: 36355575 PMCID: PMC9706552 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c02721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
While only one enantiomer of chiral biomolecules performs a biological function, access to both enantiomers (or enantiomorphs) proved to be advantageous for technology. Using dye covalent attachment to a DNA Holliday junction (HJ), we created two pairs of dimers of bis(chloroindolenine)squaraine dye that enabled strongly coupled molecular excitons of opposite chirality in solution. The exciton chirality inversion was achieved by interchanging single covalent linkers of unequal length tethering the dyes of each dimer to the HJ core. Dimers in each pair exhibited profound exciton-coupled circular dichroism (CD) couplets of opposite signs. Dimer geometries, modeled by simultaneous fitting absorption and CD spectra, were related in each pair as nonsuperimposable and nearly exact mirror images. The origin of observed exciton chirality inversion was explained in the view of isomerization of the stacked Holliday junction. This study will open new opportunities for creating excitonic DNA-based materials that rely on programmable system chirality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga A. Mass
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Shibani Basu
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Lance K. Patten
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Ewald A. Terpetschnig
- SETA
BioMedicals, LLC, 2014
Silver Court East, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United
States
| | - Alexander I. Krivoshey
- SSI
“Institute for Single Crystals” of the National Academy
of Sciences of Ukraine, 60 Nauky Ave., 61072 Kharkiv, Ukraine
| | - Anatoliy L. Tatarets
- SSI
“Institute for Single Crystals” of the National Academy
of Sciences of Ukraine, 60 Nauky Ave., 61072 Kharkiv, Ukraine
| | - Ryan D. Pensack
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Bernard Yurke
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - William B. Knowlton
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Jeunghoon Lee
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering, and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
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14
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Huff J, Díaz S, Barclay MS, Chowdhury AU, Chiriboga M, Ellis GA, Mathur D, Patten LK, Roy SK, Sup A, Biaggne A, Rolczynski BS, Cunningham PD, Li L, Lee J, Davis PH, Yurke B, Knowlton WB, Medintz IL, Turner DB, Melinger JS, Pensack RD. Tunable Electronic Structure via DNA-Templated Heteroaggregates of Two Distinct Cyanine Dyes. THE JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. C, NANOMATERIALS AND INTERFACES 2022; 126:17164-17175. [PMID: 36268205 PMCID: PMC9575151 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.2c04336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Molecular excitons are useful for applications in light harvesting, organic optoelectronics, and nanoscale computing. Electronic energy transfer (EET) is a process central to the function of devices based on molecular excitons. Achieving EET with a high quantum efficiency is a common obstacle to excitonic devices, often owing to the lack of donor and acceptor molecules that exhibit favorable spectral overlap. EET quantum efficiencies may be substantially improved through the use of heteroaggregates-aggregates of chemically distinct dyes-rather than individual dyes as energy relay units. However, controlling the assembly of heteroaggregates remains a significant challenge. Here, we use DNA Holliday junctions to assemble homo- and heterotetramer aggregates of the prototypical cyanine dyes Cy5 and Cy5.5. In addition to permitting control over the number of dyes within an aggregate, DNA-templated assembly confers control over aggregate composition, i.e., the ratio of constituent Cy5 and Cy5.5 dyes. By varying the ratio of Cy5 and Cy5.5, we show that the most intense absorption feature of the resulting tetramer can be shifted in energy over a range of almost 200 meV (1600 cm-1). All tetramers pack in the form of H-aggregates and exhibit quenched emission and drastically reduced excited-state lifetimes compared to the monomeric dyes. We apply a purely electronic exciton theory model to describe the observed progression of the absorption spectra. This model agrees with both the measured data and a more sophisticated vibronic model of the absorption and circular dichroism spectra, indicating that Cy5 and Cy5.5 heteroaggregates are largely described by molecular exciton theory. Finally, we extend the purely electronic exciton model to describe an idealized J-aggregate based on Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) and discuss the potential advantages of such a device over traditional FRET relays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan
S. Huff
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Sebastián
A. Díaz
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science
and Engineering Code 6900, Electronics Science and
Technology Division Code 6800, U.S. Naval
Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia 20375, United States
| | - Matthew S. Barclay
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Azhad U. Chowdhury
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Matthew Chiriboga
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science
and Engineering Code 6900, Electronics Science and
Technology Division Code 6800, U.S. Naval
Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia 20375, United States
- Volgenau
School of Engineering, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, United States
| | - Gregory A. Ellis
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science
and Engineering Code 6900, Electronics Science and
Technology Division Code 6800, U.S. Naval
Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia 20375, United States
| | - Divita Mathur
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science
and Engineering Code 6900, Electronics Science and
Technology Division Code 6800, U.S. Naval
Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia 20375, United States
- College
of Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, United States
| | - Lance K. Patten
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Simon K. Roy
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Aaron Sup
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Austin Biaggne
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Brian S. Rolczynski
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science
and Engineering Code 6900, Electronics Science and
Technology Division Code 6800, U.S. Naval
Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia 20375, United States
| | - Paul D. Cunningham
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science
and Engineering Code 6900, Electronics Science and
Technology Division Code 6800, U.S. Naval
Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia 20375, United States
| | - Lan Li
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
- Center
for Advanced Energy Studies, Idaho
Falls, Idaho 83401, United States
| | - Jeunghoon Lee
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Paul H. Davis
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
- Center
for Advanced Energy Studies, Idaho
Falls, Idaho 83401, United States
| | - Bernard Yurke
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - William B. Knowlton
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Igor L. Medintz
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science
and Engineering Code 6900, Electronics Science and
Technology Division Code 6800, U.S. Naval
Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia 20375, United States
| | - Daniel B. Turner
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Joseph S. Melinger
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science
and Engineering Code 6900, Electronics Science and
Technology Division Code 6800, U.S. Naval
Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia 20375, United States
| | - Ryan D. Pensack
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
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15
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Symmetry Breaking Charge Transfer in DNA-Templated Perylene Dimer Aggregates. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27196612. [PMID: 36235149 PMCID: PMC9571668 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27196612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Molecular aggregates are of interest to a broad range of fields including light harvesting, organic optoelectronics, and nanoscale computing. In molecular aggregates, nonradiative decay pathways may emerge that were not present in the constituent molecules. Such nonradiative decay pathways may include singlet fission, excimer relaxation, and symmetry-breaking charge transfer. Singlet fission, sometimes referred to as excitation multiplication, is of great interest to the fields of energy conversion and quantum information. For example, endothermic singlet fission, which avoids energy loss, has been observed in covalently bound, linear perylene trimers and tetramers. In this work, the electronic structure and excited-state dynamics of dimers of a perylene derivative templated using DNA were investigated. Specifically, DNA Holliday junctions were used to template the aggregation of two perylene molecules covalently linked to a modified uracil nucleobase through an ethynyl group. The perylenes were templated in the form of monomer, transverse dimer, and adjacent dimer configurations. The electronic structure of the perylene monomers and dimers were characterized via steady-state absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. Initial insights into their excited-state dynamics were gleaned from relative fluorescence intensity measurements, which indicated that a new nonradiative decay pathway emerges in the dimers. Femtosecond visible transient absorption spectroscopy was subsequently used to elucidate the excited-state dynamics. A new excited-state absorption feature grows in on the tens of picosecond timescale in the dimers, which is attributed to the formation of perylene anions and cations resulting from symmetry-breaking charge transfer. Given the close proximity required for symmetry-breaking charge transfer, the results shed promising light on the prospect of singlet fission in DNA-templated molecular aggregates.
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16
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Cervantes-Salguero K, Biaggne A, Youngsman JM, Ward BM, Kim YC, Li L, Hall JA, Knowlton WB, Graugnard E, Kuang W. Strategies for Controlling the Spatial Orientation of Single Molecules Tethered on DNA Origami Templates Physisorbed on Glass Substrates: Intercalation and Stretching. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:7690. [PMID: 35887059 PMCID: PMC9323263 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23147690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Nanoarchitectural control of matter is crucial for next-generation technologies. DNA origami templates are harnessed to accurately position single molecules; however, direct single molecule evidence is lacking regarding how well DNA origami can control the orientation of such molecules in three-dimensional space, as well as the factors affecting control. Here, we present two strategies for controlling the polar (θ) and in-plane azimuthal (ϕ) angular orientations of cyanine Cy5 single molecules tethered on rationally-designed DNA origami templates that are physically adsorbed (physisorbed) on glass substrates. By using dipolar imaging to evaluate Cy5's orientation and super-resolution microscopy, the absolute spatial orientation of Cy5 is calculated relative to the DNA template. The sequence-dependent partial intercalation of Cy5 is discovered and supported theoretically using density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations, and it is harnessed as our first strategy to achieve θ control for a full revolution with dispersion as small as ±4.5°. In our second strategy, ϕ control is achieved by mechanically stretching the Cy5 from its two tethers, being the dispersion ±10.3° for full stretching. These results can in principle be applied to any single molecule, expanding in this way the capabilities of DNA as a functional templating material for single-molecule orientation control. The experimental and modeling insights provided herein will help engineer similar self-assembling molecular systems based on polymers, such as RNA and proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keitel Cervantes-Salguero
- Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA; (A.B.); (J.M.Y.); (B.M.W.); (L.L.); (W.B.K.); (E.G.)
| | - Austin Biaggne
- Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA; (A.B.); (J.M.Y.); (B.M.W.); (L.L.); (W.B.K.); (E.G.)
| | - John M. Youngsman
- Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA; (A.B.); (J.M.Y.); (B.M.W.); (L.L.); (W.B.K.); (E.G.)
| | - Brett M. Ward
- Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA; (A.B.); (J.M.Y.); (B.M.W.); (L.L.); (W.B.K.); (E.G.)
| | - Young C. Kim
- Materials Science and Technology Division, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Code 6300, Washington, DC 20375, USA;
| | - Lan Li
- Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA; (A.B.); (J.M.Y.); (B.M.W.); (L.L.); (W.B.K.); (E.G.)
- Center for Advanced Energy Studies, Idaho Falls, ID 83401, USA
| | - John A. Hall
- Division of Research and Economic Development, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA;
| | - William B. Knowlton
- Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA; (A.B.); (J.M.Y.); (B.M.W.); (L.L.); (W.B.K.); (E.G.)
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA
| | - Elton Graugnard
- Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA; (A.B.); (J.M.Y.); (B.M.W.); (L.L.); (W.B.K.); (E.G.)
- Center for Advanced Energy Studies, Idaho Falls, ID 83401, USA
| | - Wan Kuang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA
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17
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Sorour MI, Marcus AH, Matsika S. Modeling the Electronic Absorption Spectra of the Indocarbocyanine Cy3. Molecules 2022; 27:4062. [PMID: 35807308 PMCID: PMC9268038 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27134062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate modeling of optical spectra requires careful treatment of the molecular structures and vibronic, environmental, and thermal contributions. The accuracy of the computational methods used to simulate absorption spectra is limited by their ability to account for all the factors that affect the spectral shapes and energetics. The ensemble-based approaches are widely used to model the absorption spectra of molecules in the condensed-phase, and their performance is system dependent. The Franck-Condon approach is suitable for simulating high resolution spectra of rigid systems, and its accuracy is limited mainly by the harmonic approximation. In this work, the absorption spectrum of the widely used cyanine Cy3 is simulated using the ensemble approach via classical and quantum sampling, as well as, the Franck-Condon approach. The factors limiting the ensemble approaches, including the sampling and force field effects, are tested, while the vertical and adiabatic harmonic approximations of the Franck-Condon approach are also systematically examined. Our results show that all the vertical methods, including the ensemble approach, are not suitable to model the absorption spectrum of Cy3, and recommend the adiabatic methods as suitable approaches for the modeling of spectra with strong vibronic contributions. We find that the thermal effects, the low frequency modes, and the simultaneous vibrational excitations have prominent contributions to the Cy3 spectrum. The inclusion of the solvent stabilizes the energetics significantly, while its negligible effect on the spectral shapes aligns well with the experimental observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed I. Sorour
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA;
| | - Andrew H. Marcus
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA;
| | - Spiridoula Matsika
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA;
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18
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Basu S, Cervantes-Salguero K, Yurke B, Knowlton WB, Lee J, Mass OA. Photocrosslinking Probes Proximity of Thymine Modifiers Tethering Excitonically Coupled Dye Aggregates to DNA Holliday Junction. Molecules 2022; 27:4006. [PMID: 35807250 PMCID: PMC9268628 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27134006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
A DNA Holliday junction (HJ) has been used as a versatile scaffold to create a variety of covalently templated molecular dye aggregates exhibiting strong excitonic coupling. In these dye-DNA constructs, one way to attach dyes to DNA is to tether them via single long linkers to thymine modifiers incorporated in the core of the HJ. Here, using photoinduced [2 + 2] cycloaddition (photocrosslinking) between thymines, we investigated the relative positions of squaraine-labeled thymine modifiers in the core of the HJ, and whether the proximity of thymine modifiers correlated with the excitonic coupling strength in squaraine dimers. Photocrosslinking between squaraine-labeled thymine modifiers was carried out in two distinct types of configurations: adjacent dimer and transverse dimer. The outcomes of the reactions in terms of relative photocrosslinking yields were evaluated by denaturing polyacrylamide electrophoresis. We found that for photocrosslinking to occur at a high yield, a synergetic combination of three parameters was necessary: adjacent dimer configuration, strong attractive dye-dye interactions that led to excitonic coupling, and an A-T neighboring base pair. The insight into the proximity of dye-labeled thymines in adjacent and transverse configurations correlated with the strength of excitonic coupling in the corresponding dimers. To demonstrate a utility of photocrosslinking, we created a squaraine tetramer templated by a doubly crosslinked HJ with increased thermal stability. These findings provide guidance for the design of HJ-templated dye aggregates exhibiting strong excitonic coupling for exciton-based applications such as organic optoelectronics and quantum computing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shibani Basu
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA; (S.B.); (K.C.-S.); (B.Y.); (W.B.K.)
| | - Keitel Cervantes-Salguero
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA; (S.B.); (K.C.-S.); (B.Y.); (W.B.K.)
| | - Bernard Yurke
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA; (S.B.); (K.C.-S.); (B.Y.); (W.B.K.)
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA
| | - William B. Knowlton
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA; (S.B.); (K.C.-S.); (B.Y.); (W.B.K.)
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA
| | - Jeunghoon Lee
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA; (S.B.); (K.C.-S.); (B.Y.); (W.B.K.)
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA
| | - Olga A. Mass
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA; (S.B.); (K.C.-S.); (B.Y.); (W.B.K.)
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19
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Barclay MS, Wilson CK, Roy SK, Mass OA, Obukhova OM, Svoiakov RP, Tatarets AL, Chowdhury AU, Huff JS, Turner DB, Davis PH, Terpetschnig EA, Yurke B, Knowlton WB, Lee J, Pensack RD. Oblique Packing and Tunable Excitonic Coupling in DNA‐Templated Squaraine Rotaxane Dimer Aggregates. CHEMPHOTOCHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/cptc.202200039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S. Barclay
- Boise State University Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering UNITED STATES
| | - Christopher K. Wilson
- Boise State University Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering UNITED STATES
| | - Simon K. Roy
- Boise State University Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering UNITED STATES
| | - Olga A. Mass
- Boise State University Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering UNITED STATES
| | - Olena M. Obukhova
- SSI Institute for Single Crystals NAS of Ukraine: Naukovo-tehnologicnij kompleks Institut monokristaliv Nacional'na akademia nauk Ukraini Department of Luminescent Materials and Dyes UKRAINE
| | - Rostyslav P. Svoiakov
- SSI Institute for Single Crystals NAS of Ukraine: Naukovo-tehnologicnij kompleks Institut monokristaliv Nacional'na akademia nauk Ukraini Department of Luminescent Materials and Dyes UKRAINE
| | - Anatoliy L. Tatarets
- SSI Institute for Single Crystals NAS of Ukraine: Naukovo-tehnologicnij kompleks Institut monokristaliv Nacional'na akademia nauk Ukraini Department of Luminescent Materials and Dyes UKRAINE
| | - Azhad U. Chowdhury
- Boise State University Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering UNITED STATES
| | - Jonathan S. Huff
- Boise State University Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering UNITED STATES
| | - Daniel B. Turner
- Boise State University Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering UNITED STATES
| | - Paul H. Davis
- Boise State University Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering UNITED STATES
| | | | - Bernard Yurke
- Boise State University Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering; Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering UNITED STATES
| | - William B. Knowlton
- Boise State University Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering; Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering UNITED STATES
| | - Jeunghoon Lee
- Boise State University Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering; Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry UNITED STATES
| | - Ryan D. Pensack
- Boise State University Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering 1435 W University Dr 83706 Boise UNITED STATES
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20
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Chowdhury A, Díaz S, Huff JS, Barclay MS, Chiriboga M, Ellis GA, Mathur D, Patten LK, Sup A, Hallstrom N, Cunningham PD, Lee J, Davis PH, Turner DB, Yurke B, Knowlton WB, Medintz IL, Melinger JS, Pensack RD. Tuning between Quenching and Energy Transfer in DNA-Templated Heterodimer Aggregates. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:2782-2791. [PMID: 35319215 PMCID: PMC8978177 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Molecular excitons, which propagate spatially via electronic energy transfer, are central to numerous applications including light harvesting, organic optoelectronics, and nanoscale computing; they may also benefit applications such as photothermal therapy and photoacoustic imaging through the local generation of heat via rapid excited-state quenching. Here we show how to tune between energy transfer and quenching for heterodimers of the same pair of cyanine dyes by altering their spatial configuration on a DNA template. We assemble "transverse" and "adjacent" heterodimers of Cy5 and Cy5.5 using DNA Holliday junctions. We find that the transverse heterodimers exhibit optical properties consistent with excitonically interacting dyes and fluorescence quenching, while the adjacent heterodimers exhibit optical properties consistent with nonexcitonically interacting dyes and disproportionately large Cy5.5 emission, suggestive of energy transfer between dyes. We use transient absorption spectroscopy to show that quenching in the transverse heterodimer occurs via rapid nonradiative decay to the ground state (∼31 ps) and that in the adjacent heterodimer rapid energy transfer from Cy5 to Cy5.5 (∼420 fs) is followed by Cy5.5 excited-state relaxation (∼700 ps). Accessing such drastically different photophysics, which may be tuned on demand for different target applications, highlights the utility of DNA as a template for dye aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azhad
U. Chowdhury
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Sebastián
A. Díaz
- Center for Bio/Molecular
Science and Engineering Code 6900 and Electronics Science
and Technology Division Code 6800, U.S.
Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
| | - Jonathan S. Huff
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Matthew S. Barclay
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Matthew Chiriboga
- Center for Bio/Molecular
Science and Engineering Code 6900 and Electronics Science
and Technology Division Code 6800, U.S.
Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
- Volgenau
School of Engineering, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, United States
| | - Gregory A. Ellis
- Center for Bio/Molecular
Science and Engineering Code 6900 and Electronics Science
and Technology Division Code 6800, U.S.
Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
| | - Divita Mathur
- Center for Bio/Molecular
Science and Engineering Code 6900 and Electronics Science
and Technology Division Code 6800, U.S.
Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
- College
of
Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, United States
| | - Lance K. Patten
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Aaron Sup
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Natalya Hallstrom
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Paul D. Cunningham
- Center for Bio/Molecular
Science and Engineering Code 6900 and Electronics Science
and Technology Division Code 6800, U.S.
Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
| | - Jeunghoon Lee
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Paul H. Davis
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Daniel B. Turner
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Bernard Yurke
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - William B. Knowlton
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Igor L. Medintz
- Center for Bio/Molecular
Science and Engineering Code 6900 and Electronics Science
and Technology Division Code 6800, U.S.
Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
| | - Joseph S. Melinger
- Center for Bio/Molecular
Science and Engineering Code 6900 and Electronics Science
and Technology Division Code 6800, U.S.
Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
| | - Ryan D. Pensack
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry, and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
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21
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Mass OA, Wilson CK, Barcenas G, Terpetschnig EA, Obukhova OM, Kolosova OS, Tatarets AL, Li L, Yurke B, Knowlton WB, Pensack RD, Lee J. Influence of Hydrophobicity on Excitonic Coupling in DNA-Templated Indolenine Squaraine Dye Aggregates. THE JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. C, NANOMATERIALS AND INTERFACES 2022; 126:3475-3488. [PMID: 35242270 PMCID: PMC8883467 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c08981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Control over the strength of excitonic coupling in molecular dye aggregates is a substantial factor for the development of technologies such as light harvesting, optoelectronics, and quantum computing. According to the molecular exciton model, the strength of excitonic coupling is inversely proportional to the distance between dyes. Covalent DNA templating was proved to be a versatile tool to control dye spacing on a subnanometer scale. To further expand our ability to control photophysical properties of excitons, here, we investigated the influence of dye hydrophobicity on the strength of excitonic coupling in squaraine aggregates covalently templated by DNA Holliday Junction (DNA HJ). Indolenine squaraines were chosen for their excellent spectral properties, stability, and diversity of chemical modifications. Six squaraines of varying hydrophobicity from highly hydrophobic to highly hydrophilic were assembled in two dimer configurations and a tetramer. In general, the examined squaraines demonstrated a propensity toward face-to-face aggregation behavior observed via steady-state absorption, fluorescence, and circular dichroism spectroscopies. Modeling based on the Kühn-Renger-May approach quantified the strength of excitonic coupling in the squaraine aggregates. The strength of excitonic coupling strongly correlated with squaraine hydrophobic region. Dimer aggregates of dichloroindolenine squaraine were found to exhibit the strongest coupling strength of 132 meV (1065 cm-1). In addition, we identified the sites for dye attachment in the DNA HJ that promote the closest spacing between the dyes in their dimers. The extracted aggregate geometries, and the role of electrostatic and steric effects in squaraine aggregation are also discussed. Taken together, these findings provide a deeper insight into how dye structures influence excitonic coupling in dye aggregates covalently templated via DNA, and guidance in design rules for exciton-based materials and devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga A. Mass
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Christopher K. Wilson
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - German Barcenas
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | | | - Olena M. Obukhova
- State
Scientific Institution “Institute for Single Crystals”
of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kharkiv 61072, Ukraine
| | - Olga S. Kolosova
- State
Scientific Institution “Institute for Single Crystals”
of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kharkiv 61072, Ukraine
| | - Anatoliy L. Tatarets
- State
Scientific Institution “Institute for Single Crystals”
of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kharkiv 61072, Ukraine
| | - Lan Li
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
- Center
for Advanced Energy Studies, Idaho
Falls, Idaho 83401, United States
| | - Bernard Yurke
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
- Department
of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - William B. Knowlton
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
- Department
of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Ryan. D. Pensack
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Jeunghoon Lee
- Micron
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boise State
University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United
States
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22
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Heussman D, Kittell J, von Hippel PH, Marcus AH. Temperature-dependent local conformations and conformational distributions of cyanine dimer labeled single-stranded-double-stranded DNA junctions by 2D fluorescence spectroscopy. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:045101. [PMID: 35105081 PMCID: PMC9448411 DOI: 10.1063/5.0076261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA replication and the related processes of genome expression require binding, assembly, and function of protein complexes at and near single-stranded (ss)-double-stranded (ds) DNA junctions. These central protein-DNA interactions are likely influenced by thermally induced conformational fluctuations of the DNA scaffold across an unknown distribution of functionally relevant states to provide regulatory proteins access to properly conformed DNA binding sites. Thus, characterizing the nature of conformational fluctuations and the associated structural disorder at ss-dsDNA junctions is critical for understanding the molecular mechanisms of these central biological processes. Here, we describe spectroscopic studies of model ss-dsDNA fork constructs that contain dimers of "internally labeled" cyanine (iCy3) chromophore probes that have been rigidly inserted within the sugar-phosphate backbones of the DNA strands. Our combined analyses of absorbance, circular dichroism, and two-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy permit us to characterize the local conformational parameters and conformational distributions. We find that the DNA sugar-phosphate backbones undergo abrupt successive changes in their local conformations-initially from a right-handed and ordered DNA state to a disordered splayed-open structure and then to a disordered left-handed conformation-as the dimer probes are moved across the ss-dsDNA junction. Our results suggest that the sugar-phosphate backbones at and near ss-dsDNA junctions adopt specific position-dependent local conformations and exhibit varying extents of conformational disorder that deviate widely from the Watson-Crick structure. We suggest that some of these conformations can function as secondary-structure motifs for interaction with protein complexes that bind to and assemble at these sites.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Justin Kittell
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
| | - Peter H. von Hippel
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
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23
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Roy S, Mass OA, Kellis DL, Wilson CK, Hall JA, Yurke B, Knowlton WB. Exciton Delocalization and Scaffold Stability in Bridged Nucleotide-Substituted, DNA Duplex-Templated Cyanine Aggregates. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:13670-13684. [PMID: 34894675 PMCID: PMC8713290 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c07602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Molecular excitons play a foundational role in chromophore aggregates found in light-harvesting systems and offer potential applications in engineered excitonic systems. Controlled aggregation of chromophores to promote exciton delocalization has been achieved by covalently tethering chromophores to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) scaffolds. Although many studies have documented changes in the optical properties of chromophores upon aggregation using DNA scaffolds, more limited work has investigated how structural modifications of DNA via bridged nucleotides and chromophore covalent attachment impact scaffold stability as well as the configuration and optical behavior of attached aggregates. Here we investigated the impact of two types of bridged nucleotides, LNA and BNA, as a structural modification of duplex DNA-templated cyanine (Cy5) aggregates. The bridged nucleotides were incorporated in the domain of one to four Cy5 chromophores attached between adjacent bases of a DNA duplex. We found that bridged nucleotides increase the stability of DNA scaffolds carrying Cy5 aggregates in comparison with natural nucleotides in analogous constructs. Exciton coupling strength and delocalization in Cy5 aggregates were evaluated via steady-state absorption, circular dichroism, and theoretical modeling. Replacing natural nucleotides with bridged nucleotides resulted in a noticeable increase in the coupling strength (≥10 meV) between chromophores and increased H-like stacking behavior (i.e., more face-to-face stacking). Our results suggest that bridged nucleotides may be useful for increasing scaffold stability and coupling between DNA templated chromophores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon
K. Roy
- Micron
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Olga A. Mass
- Micron
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Donald L. Kellis
- Micron
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Christopher K. Wilson
- Micron
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - John A. Hall
- Division
of Research and Economic Development, Boise
State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Bernard Yurke
- Micron
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
- Department
of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - William B. Knowlton
- Micron
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
- Department
of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
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24
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Bianco PR. Insight into the biochemical mechanism of DNA helicases provided by bulk-phase and single-molecule assays. Methods 2021; 204:348-360. [PMID: 34896247 PMCID: PMC9534331 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2021.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
There are multiple assays available that can provide insight into the biochemical mechanism of DNA helicases. For the first 22 years since their discovery, bulk-phase assays were used. These include gel-based, spectrophotometric, and spectrofluorometric assays that revealed many facets of these enzymes. From 2001, single-molecule studies have contributed additional insight into these DNA nanomachines to reveal details on energy coupling, step size, processivity as well as unique aspects of individual enzyme behavior that were masked in the averaging inherent in ensemble studies. In this review, important aspects of the study of helicases are discussed including beginning with active, nuclease-free enzyme, followed by several bulk-phase approaches that have been developed and still find widespread use today. Finally, two single-molecule approaches are discussed, and the resulting findings are related to the results obtained in bulk-phase studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piero R Bianco
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6025, USA.
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25
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Huff JS, Turner DB, Mass OA, Patten LK, Wilson CK, Roy SK, Barclay MS, Yurke B, Knowlton WB, Davis PH, Pensack RD. Excited-State Lifetimes of DNA-Templated Cyanine Dimer, Trimer, and Tetramer Aggregates: The Role of Exciton Delocalization, Dye Separation, and DNA Heterogeneity. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:10240-10259. [PMID: 34473494 PMCID: PMC8450906 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c04517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
![]()
DNA-templated molecular
(dye) aggregates are a novel class of materials
that have garnered attention in a broad range of areas including light
harvesting, sensing, and computing. Using DNA to template dye aggregation
is attractive due to the relative ease with which DNA nanostructures
can be assembled in solution, the diverse array of nanostructures
that can be assembled, and the ability to precisely position dyes
to within a few Angstroms of one another. These factors, combined
with the programmability of DNA, raise the prospect of designer materials
custom tailored for specific applications. Although considerable progress
has been made in characterizing the optical properties and associated
electronic structures of these materials, less is known about their
excited-state dynamics. For example, little is known about how the
excited-state lifetime, a parameter essential to many applications,
is influenced by structural factors, such as the number of dyes within
the aggregate and their spatial arrangement. In this work, we use
a combination of transient absorption spectroscopy and global target
analysis to measure excited-state lifetimes in a series of DNA-templated
cyanine dye aggregates. Specifically, we investigate six distinct
dimer, trimer, and tetramer aggregates—based on the ubiquitous
cyanine dye Cy5—templated using both duplex and Holliday junction
DNA nanostructures. We find that these DNA-templated Cy5 aggregates
all exhibit significantly reduced excited-state lifetimes, some by
more than 2 orders of magnitude, and observe considerable variation
among the lifetimes. We attribute the reduced excited-state lifetimes
to enhanced nonradiative decay and proceed to discuss various structural
factors, including exciton delocalization, dye separation, and DNA
heterogeneity, that may contribute to the observed reduction and variability
of excited-state lifetimes. Guided by insights from structural modeling,
we find that the reduced lifetimes and enhanced nonradiative decay
are most strongly correlated with the distance between the dyes. These
results inform potential tradeoffs between dye separation, excitonic
coupling strength, and excited-state lifetime that motivate deeper
mechanistic understanding, potentially via further dye and dye template
design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan S Huff
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Daniel B Turner
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Olga A Mass
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Lance K Patten
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Christopher K Wilson
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Simon K Roy
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Matthew S Barclay
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Bernard Yurke
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States.,Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - William B Knowlton
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States.,Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Paul H Davis
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
| | - Ryan D Pensack
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, United States
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26
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Sorour MI, Kistler KA, Marcus AH, Matsika S. Accurate Modeling of Excitonic Coupling in Cyanine Dye Cy3. J Phys Chem A 2021; 125:7852-7866. [PMID: 34494437 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.1c05556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Accurate modeling of excitonic coupling in molecules is of great importance for inferring the structures and dynamics of coupled systems. Cy3 is a cyanine dye that is widely used in molecular spectroscopy. Its well-separated excitation bands, high sensitivity to the surroundings, and the high energy transfer efficiency make it a perfect choice for excitonic coupling experiments. Many methods have been used to model the excitonic coupling in molecules with varying degrees of accuracy. The atomic transition charge model offers a high-accuracy and cost-effective way to calculating the excitonic coupling. The main focus of this work is to generate high-quality atomic transition charges that can accurately model the Cy3 dye's transition density. The transition density of the excitation of the ground to first excited state is calculated using configuration-interaction singles and time-dependent density functional theory and is benchmarked against the algebraic diagrammatic construction method. Using the transition density we derived the atomic transition charges using two approaches: Mulliken population analysis and charges fitted to the transition electrostatic potential. The quality of the charges is examined, and their ability to accurately calculate the excitonic coupling is assessed via comparison to experimental data of an artificial biscyanine construct. Theoretical comparisons to the supermolecule ab initio couplings and the widely used point-dipole approximation are also made. Results show that using the transition electrostatic potential is a reliable approach for generating the transition atomic charges. A high-quality set of charges, that can be used to model the Cy3 dye dimer excitonic coupling with high-accuracy and a reasonable computational cost, is obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed I Sorour
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
| | - Kurt A Kistler
- Department of Chemistry, Brandywine Campus, The Pennsylvania State University, Media, Pennsylvania 19063, United States
| | - Andrew H Marcus
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, United States
| | - Spiridoula Matsika
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
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27
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Hart SM, Chen WJ, Banal JL, Bricker WP, Dodin A, Markova L, Vyborna Y, Willard AP, Häner R, Bathe M, Schlau-Cohen GS. Engineering couplings for exciton transport using synthetic DNA scaffolds. Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chempr.2020.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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28
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Barclay MS, Roy SK, Huff JS, Mass OA, Turner DB, Wilson CK, Kellis DL, Terpetschnig EA, Lee J, Davis PH, Yurke B, Knowlton WB, Pensack RD. Rotaxane rings promote oblique packing and extended lifetimes in DNA-templated molecular dye aggregates. Commun Chem 2021; 4:19. [PMID: 35474961 PMCID: PMC9037907 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-021-00456-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecular excitons play a central role in natural and artificial light harvesting, organic electrònics, and nanoscale computing. The structure and dynamics of molecular excitons, critical to each application, are sensitively governed by molecular packing. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) templating is a powerful approach that enables controlled aggregation via sub-nanometer positioning of molecular dyes. However, finer sub-Angstrom control of dye packing is needed to tailor excitonic properties for specific applications. Here, we show that adding rotaxane rings to squaraine dyes templated with DNA promotes an elusive oblique packing arrangement with highly desirable optical properties. Specifically, dimers of these squaraine:rotaxanes exhibit an absorption spectrum with near-equal intensity excitonically split absorption bands. Theoretical analysis indicates that the transitions are mostly electronic in nature and only have similar intensities over a narrow range of packing angles. Compared with squaraine dimers, squaraine:rotaxane dimers also exhibit extended excited-state lifetimes and less structural heterogeneity. The approach proposed here may be generally useful for optimizing excitonic materials for a variety of applications ranging from solar energy conversion to quantum information science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S. Barclay
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 USA
| | - Simon K. Roy
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 USA
| | - Jonathan S. Huff
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 USA
| | - Olga A. Mass
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 USA
| | - Daniel B. Turner
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 USA
| | - Christopher K. Wilson
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 USA
| | - Donald L. Kellis
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 USA
| | | | - Jeunghoon Lee
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 USA
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 USA
| | - Paul H. Davis
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 USA
| | - Bernard Yurke
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 USA
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 USA
| | - William B. Knowlton
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 USA
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 USA
| | - Ryan D. Pensack
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 USA
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29
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Mass OA, Wilson CK, Roy SK, Barclay MS, Patten LK, Terpetschnig EA, Lee J, Pensack RD, Yurke B, Knowlton WB. Exciton Delocalization in Indolenine Squaraine Aggregates Templated by DNA Holliday Junction Scaffolds. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:9636-9647. [PMID: 33052691 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c06480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Exciton delocalization plays a prominent role in the photophysics of molecular aggregates, ultimately governing their particular function or application. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a compelling scaffold in which to template molecular aggregates and promote exciton delocalization. As individual dye molecules are the basis of exciton delocalization in molecular aggregates, their judicious selection is important. Motivated by their excellent photostability and spectral properties, here, we examine the ability of squaraine dyes to undergo exciton delocalization when aggregated via a DNA Holliday junction (HJ) template. A commercially available indolenine squaraine dye was chosen for the study given its strong structural resemblance to Cy5, a commercially available cyanine dye previously shown to undergo exciton delocalization in DNA HJs. Three types of DNA-dye aggregate configurations-transverse dimer, adjacent dimer, and tetramer-were investigated. Signatures of exciton delocalization were observed in all squaraine-DNA aggregates. Specifically, strong blue shift and Davydov splitting were observed in steady-state absorption spectroscopy and exciton-induced features were evident in circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Strongly suppressed fluorescence emission provided additional, indirect evidence for exciton delocalization in the DNA-templated squaraine dye aggregates. To quantitatively evaluate and directly compare the excitonic Coulombic coupling responsible for exciton delocalization, the strength of excitonic hopping interactions between the dyes was obtained by simultaneously fitting the experimental steady-state absorption and CD spectra via a Holstein-like Hamiltonian, in which, following the theoretical approach of Kühn, Renger, and May, the dominant vibrational mode is explicitly considered. The excitonic hopping strength within indolenine squaraines was found to be comparable to that of the analogous Cy5 DNA-templated aggregate. The squaraine aggregates adopted primarily an H-type (dyes oriented parallel to each other) spatial arrangement. Extracted geometric details of the dye mutual orientation in the aggregates enabled a close comparison of aggregate configurations and the elucidation of the influence of dye angular relationship on excitonic hopping interactions in squaraine aggregates. These results encourage the application of squaraine-based aggregates in next-generation systems driven by molecular excitons.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Ewald A Terpetschnig
- SETA BioMedicals, LLC, 2014 Silver Court East, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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Tamimi A, Landes T, Lavoie J, Raymer MG, Marcus AH. Fluorescence-detected Fourier transform electronic spectroscopy by phase-tagged photon counting. OPTICS EXPRESS 2020; 28:25194-25214. [PMID: 32907046 DOI: 10.1364/oe.400245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Fluorescence-detected Fourier transform (FT) spectroscopy is a technique in which the relative paths of an optical interferometer are controlled to excite a material sample, and the ensuing fluorescence is detected as a function of the interferometer path delay and relative phase. A common approach to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio in these experiments is to apply a continuous phase sweep to the relative optical path, and to detect the resulting modulated fluorescence using a phase-sensitive lock-in amplifier. In many important situations, the fluorescence signal is too weak to be measured using a lock-in amplifier, so that photon counting techniques are preferred. Here we introduce an approach to low-signal fluorescence-detected FT spectroscopy, in which individual photon counts are assigned to a modulated interferometer phase ('phase-tagged photon counting,' or PTPC), and the resulting data are processed to construct optical spectra. We studied the fluorescence signals of a molecular sample excited resonantly by a pulsed coherent laser over a range of photon flux and visibility levels. We compare the performance of PTPC to standard lock-in detection methods and establish the range of signal parameters over which meaningful measurements can be carried out. We find that PTPC generally outperforms the lock-in detection method, with the dominant source of measurement uncertainty being associated with the statistics of the finite number of samples of the photon detection rate.
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31
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Huff JS, Davis PH, Christy A, Kellis DL, Kandadai N, Toa ZSD, Scholes GD, Yurke B, Knowlton WB, Pensack RD. DNA-Templated Aggregates of Strongly Coupled Cyanine Dyes: Nonradiative Decay Governs Exciton Lifetimes. J Phys Chem Lett 2019; 10:2386-2392. [PMID: 31010285 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b00404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Molecular excitons are used in a variety of applications including light harvesting, optoelectronics, and nanoscale computing. Controlled aggregation via covalent attachment of dyes to DNA templates is a promising aggregate assembly technique that enables the design of extended dye networks. However, there are few studies of exciton dynamics in DNA-templated dye aggregates. We report time-resolved excited-state dynamics measurements of two cyanine-based dye aggregates, a J-like dimer and an H-like tetramer, formed through DNA-templating of covalently attached dyes. Time-resolved fluorescence and transient absorption indicate that nonradiative decay, in the form of internal conversion, dominates the aggregate ground state recovery dynamics, with singlet exciton lifetimes on the order of tens of picoseconds for the aggregates versus nanoseconds for the monomer. These results highlight the importance of circumventing nonradiative decay pathways in the future design of DNA-templated dye aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Zi S D Toa
- Department of Chemistry , Princeton University , Princeton , New Jersey 08544 , United States
| | - Gregory D Scholes
- Department of Chemistry , Princeton University , Princeton , New Jersey 08544 , United States
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