Ultrafast excited-state dynamics of oxazole yellow DNA intercalators

The excited-state dynamics of the DNA intercalator YO-PRO-1 and of three derivatives has been investigated in water and in DNA using ultrafast fluorescence spectroscopy. In the free form, the singly charged dyes exist both as monomers and as H-dimers, while the doubly charged dyes exist predominantly as monomers. Both forms are very weakly fluorescent: the monomers because of ultrafast nonradiative deactivation, with a time constant on the order of 3-4 ps, associated with large amplitude motion around the methine bridge, and the H-dimers because of excitonic interaction. Upon intercalation into DNA, large amplitude motion is inhibited, H-dimers are disrupted, and the molecules become highly fluorescent. The early fluorescence dynamics of these dyes in DNA exhibits substantial differences compared with that measured with their homodimeric YOYO analogues, which are ascribed to dissimilarities in their local environment. Finally, the decay of the fluorescence polarization anisotropy reveals ultrafast hopping of the excitation energy between the intercalated dyes. In one case, a marked change of the depolarization dynamics upon increasing the dye concentration is observed and explained in terms of a different binding mode.