Hybridization induced fluorescence turn-on of AIEgen-oligonucleotide conjugates for specific DNA detection

A bisazide functionalized fluorogen with aggregation-induced emission characteristics (AIEgen) was conjugated to single-stranded oligonucleotides to yield two-armed AIE probes for specific DNA detection. The probes show low emission in aqueous media, which become highly emissive upon hybridization with their complementary strands. The probes are suitable for homogenous sequence-specific DNA detection and are able to discriminate target sequences with even one-base mutation. The signal output can be further enhanced when two probes hybridize to each other to restrict the free rotation of the incorporated AIEgen.