Title
An Amphiphilic BODIPY： Selective Probe for Parallel G4 DNA Targeting via Disaggregation-Induced Emission
Author
Ming-qi Wang, Juan-Juan Gao, Quan-Qi Yu, Hong-Bei Liu
Year
2020
Journal
New Journal of Chemistry
Abstract
The implication of G4 DNA in biologically important roles has prompted the search for selective recognition and interaction of G4 agents. Since G4 DNA structures can adopt various topologies, attaining specific toward a G4 topology over other structural similarities is a challenging task given their subtle structural variations in loops, groove widths, and flanking nucleotides. To achieve this, a new amphiphilic fluorescent probe AB-1 for parallel G4 DNA targeting based on the concept of triggered disaggregation-induced emission (DIE), has been developed. The designed probe was aggregate and silent in fluorescence, in the presence of parallel G4 DNA, it disaggregated and produced a clear light-up fluorescent signal. It has been successfully applied for the optical discrimination of parallel vs. anti-parallel G4 and non-G4 DNAs. Mechanistic studies suggested that AB-1 stacked on the 5’-end G-quartet, which may explain the probe’s specificity to only a subset of parallel structures. In vitro studies with different kinds of cells showed that the probe was more cytotoxic to cancer cells. Moreover, the probe displayed good biocompatibility that could enter live cells and localize in the cytoplasm as shown by confocal fluorescence microscopy. This study provided structural detail for the development of G4-specific probes.
Instrument
J-815
Keywords
Circular dichroism, G-quadruplex structure, DNA structure, Chemical stability, Pharmaceutical, Biochemistry