5'-bis-pyrenylated oligonucleotides display enhanced excimer fluorescence upon hybridization with DNA and RNA

A simple one-step procedure was applied for synthesis of oligonucleotide conjugates bearing two pyrene residues at the 5'-phosphate of oligonucleotide. Excimer fluorescence intensity of the conjugates is highly sensitive to duplex formation: binding of the bis-pyrenylated oligonucleotides to their DNA and RNA targets leads 10-fold increase of fluorescence. The data show that excimer fluorescence intensity of the conjugates depends linearly on the concentration of target DNA and permits quantification of DNA in solution.