QUINACRINE - SPECTROSCOPIC PROPERTIES AND INTERACTIONS WITH POLYNUCLEOTIDES
Journal article, 1993

The acridine dye quinacrine and its interactions with calf thymus DNA, poly(dA-dT).poly(dA-dT), and poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) were studied by light absorption, linear dichroism, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The transition moments of quinacrine give rise to absorption bands polarized along the short axis (400-480-nm band), and the long axis (345-nm and 290-nm bands) of the molecule, respectively. Linear dichroism studies show that quinacrine intercalates into calf thymus DNA as well as into the polynucleotides, displaying fairly homogeneous binding to poly (dA-dT).poly(dA-dT), but more than one type of intercalation site for calf thymus DNA and poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC). Fluorescence spectroscopy shows that for free quinacrine the pK = 8.1 between the mono- and diprotonated states also remains unchanged in the excited state. Quinacrine bound to calf thymus DNA and polynucleotides exhibits light absorption typical for the intercalated diprotonated form. The fluorescence enhancement of quinacrine bound to poly (dA-dT).poly(dA-dT) may be due to shielding from water interactions involving transient H-bond formation. The fluorescence quenching in poly (dG-dC).poly (dG-dC) may be due to excited state electron transfer from guanine to quinacrine. (C) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

electron-transfer

single tyrosine

time-resolved fluorescence

complexes

b-dna

self-complementary deoxydinucleotides

kinetics

linear dichroism spectroscopy

binding

absorption

Author

S. M. Doglia

Bo Albinsson

Department of Physical Chemistry

Catharina Hiort

Department of Physical Chemistry

Bengt Nordén

Department of Physical Chemistry

A. Graslund

Biopolymers

0006-3525 (ISSN) 1097-0282 (eISSN)

Vol. 33 9 1431-1442

Subject Categories

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

DOI

10.1002/bip.360330913

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Created

10/6/2017