Interactions between a Zwitterionic Polythiophene Derivative and Oligonucleotides As Resolved by Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer

The interactions between a zwitterionic polythiophene derivative, POWT, and DNA oligonucleotides in solution have been studied by FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer). When POWT and ssDNA are bound alone in a complex, the distance between them is at its smallest. The distance increases when adding complementary DNA, but POWT is still mainly bound to the first DNA strand. We find that two POWT chains bind to one DNA strand, and the two POWT chains seem held together in pairs, unable to separate, as they can only bind to and quench half their own amount of labeled DNA. This POWT−POWT complex appears to dissociate at lower concentrations. ssDNA attached to POWT in a complex can also be substituted by other ssDNA in solution; this occurs to 50% when the free DNA is present in 10-fold concentration compared to the ssDNA bound to POWT. Titration studies at different concentrations show positive cooperativity in the binding of POWT and ssDNA into a complex. The hybridization of complementary DNA to the same complex involves no cooperativity. These observations indicate interesting possibilities for the use of POWT as a DNA sensor.