FRET templated by G-quadruplex DNA: a specific ternary interaction using an original pair of donor/acceptor partners

G-quadruplex represents a suitable scaffold for FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer) since its two external quartets offer two well-defined binding sites for concomitant trapping of donor/acceptor partners. Combining selective G-quadruplex binders (macrocyclic bis(quinacridine) BOQ(1) or monomeric quinacridine MMQ(1), donor) with a highly fluorescent DNA probe (thiazole orange, acceptor), we designed a structure-specific FRET-system based on an unprecedented noncovalent ternary complex. This system could be potentially usable as a signature for quadruplex-DNA conformation in solution, but also might offer a unique means for observing cation and ligand binding influence on quadruplex topology.