Pyrene Excimer Nucleic Acid Probes for Biomolecule Signaling

摘要

Pyrene excimer nucleic acid probes are novel molecular probes that integrate the unique opticalproperties of pyrene excimer with excellent recognition capability of nucleic acids. Pyrene has theproperty of forming excimer that has a large Stokes shift and long fluorescence lifetime. Nucleicacid probes, like aptamers and molecular beacons, can directly bind to target molecules with ahigh selectivity and affinity. Possessing these outstanding characteristics of pyrene excimer andnucleic acid probes, pyrene excimer nucleic acid probes can be effectively used in detection ofbiomolecules, study of protein-DNA interactions, and investigation of enzymatic processes in com-plex biological systems. In this review, we will discuss the optical properties of pyrene excimer andsummarize recent progresses on pyrene excimer signaling nucleic acid probes for the signaling ofbiomolecules and their interactions in complex biological samples.