Binding Mechanism of Methylene Blue with Single-Stranded Synthetic Polynucleotides poly(rA) and poly(rU)

The binding of the thiazine dye methylene blue (MB) with single-stranded (ss-) polyribonucleotides poly(rA) and poly(rU) was studied using absorption spectroscopy and UV-melting. The binding mechanisms of MB to poly(rA) and poly(rU) were found to differ significantly. The obtained data indicated that the main mode of interaction between MB and ss-poly(rA) and ss-poly(rU) corresponded to semi-intercalation to electrostatic binding, respectively. MB was also found to contribute to the formation of the hybrid duplex poly(rA)-poly(rU).

Automated summary

This study investigated the binding of the thiazine dye methylene blue (MB) with single-stranded polyribonucleotides poly(rA) and poly(rU) using absorption spectroscopy and UV-melting. The results showed significant differences in the binding mechanisms of MB to poly(rA) and poly(rU), which involved semi-intercalation and electrostatic binding, respectively. Additionally, MB was found to contribute to the formation of the hybrid duplex poly(rA)-poly(rU).