Pyrene-functionalized oligonucleotides and locked nucleic acids (LNAs): Tools for fundamental research diagnostics and materials science

摘要

Pyrene-functionalized oligonucleotides (PFOs) are increasingly explored as tools in fundamental research, diagnostics and materials science. Their popularity is linked to the ability of pyrenes to function as polarity-sensitive and quenchable fluorophores, excimer-generating units, aromatic stacking moieties and nucleic acid duplex intercalators. These characteristics have motivated development of PFOs for detection of complementary DNA/RNA targets, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and generation of π-arrays on nucleic acid scaffolds. This Review will highlight the physical properties and applications of PFOs that are likely to provide high degree of positional control of the chromophore in nucleic acid complexes. Particular emphasis will be placed on pyrene-functionalized Locked Nucleic Acids (LNAs) since these materials display distinctive properties such as large fluorescence quantum yields, efficient discrimination of SNPs, and recognition of mixed-sequence double stranded DNA.