Making a DNA stack taller can boost its brightness by 1,500 times, creating a super-powered biological sensor.
Molecular rotors are often used to detect changes inside cells, but they are usually too dim to see clearly. Researchers discovered that adding more layers to a DNA scaffold changes how these rotors tuck themselves into the structure. This layer effect forces the molecules into a deep intercalation that amplifies their light output by a massive margin. It turns a standard DNA sequence into a glowing beacon that can be seen even at very low concentrations. This finding allows for the creation of incredibly sensitive biosensors that can detect the earliest signs of disease.
Extending the G-Quadruplex Stack: Layer-Dependent Fluorescence Amplification of Molecular Rotors via Deep Intercalation
SSRN · 6710265
G-quadruplexes (G4s) act as highly versatile nucleic acid scaffolds for biosensing; however, a generalizable strategy to systematically amplify the fluorescence of G4-bound molecular rotors remains elusive. Herein, we propose a structural engineering strategy to dramatically enhance the "light-up" performance of fluorogenic ligands (e.g., Thioflavin T, ThT) by tailoring the G-quartet layer number (N) of parallel G4 scaffolds. Using a rationally designed EAD4-derived sequence library (N = 2–8), w