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Long-lifetime metal-ligand complexes as luminescent probes for DNA

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Abstract

We examined the intensity and anisotropy decays of DNA labeled with two ruthenium metalligand complexes, [Ru(bpy)2(dppz)]2+ and [Ru(phe)2(dppz)]2+. Both complexes display high emission anisotropies in the absence of rotational diffusion, making them suitable probes for rotational motions. When bound to DNA, these complexes display decay times as long as 294 ns, providing long-lived probes of DNA dynamics. The decay times of both complexes were rather insensitive to dissolved oxygen. We examined anisotropy decays of these complexes bound to B-form DNA. The anisotropy decays revealed correlation times near 10, 50, and several hundred nanoseconds, suggesting that these probes are sensitive to a wide range of DNA motions. The use of metalligand complexes should allow resolution of both the torsional and bending motions of DNA, the latter of which has been mostly inaccessible using shorter-lived fluorescent probes bound to DNA.

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Abbreviations

bpy:

2,2’-bipyridyl

bpy complex:

[Ru(bpy)2(dppz)]2+

DNA:

calf thymus DNA

dppz:

dipyrido[3,2-a’,2’,3’,-c]phenazine

EB:

ethidium bromide

MLC:

metal-ligand complexes

phe:

1,10-phenanthroline

phe complex:

[Ru(phe)2(dppz)]2+

TCSPC:

time-correlated single-photon counting

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 725 West Lombard Street, 21201, Baltimore, Maryland

    Henryk Malak, Ignacy Gryczynski, Joseph R. Lakowicz & Felix N. Castellano

  2. Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 Charles Street, 21218, Baltimore, Maryland

    Gerald J. Meyers & Felix N. Castellano

Authors
  1. Henryk Malak
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  2. Ignacy Gryczynski
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  3. Joseph R. Lakowicz
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  4. Gerald J. Meyers
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  5. Felix N. Castellano
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Dedicated to Professor Robert F. Steiner upon his retirement

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Malak, H., Gryczynski, I., Lakowicz, J.R. et al. Long-lifetime metal-ligand complexes as luminescent probes for DNA. J Fluoresc 7, 107–112 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02760501

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