Aggregating distyrylpyridinium dye as a bimodal structural probe for G-quadruplex DNA†
Abstract
A colorimetric and fluorimetric probe for the detection of G-quadruplex (G4) DNA was designed by the introduction of coumarin units into the distyrylpyridinium chromophore. It has been successfully applied for the optical discrimination of G4 vs. non-G4 DNA and validated using two previously unknown G4-forming sequences, which were identified in the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.