Synthesis and characterization of a fluorescent adenosine derivative for detection of intermolecular RNA G-quadruplexes

We synthesized a fluorescent adenosine derivative, rA(PY), as a probe to study RNA structural transitions, in particular the intermolecular G-quadruplex formation. rA(PY) was incorporated into the dangling positions of guanine-rich oligonucleotides, which under physiological conditions undergo pi-stacking on top of each other exhibiting a strong emission signal in their G-quadruplex conformation, but not in their single-stranded state. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.