Detection of adenine-rich ssDNA based on thymine-substituted tetraphenylethene with aggregation-induced emission characteristics†
Abstract
In this work, tetraphenylethene (TPE) equipped with thymine, TPE–T, was synthesized and used as a fluorescence biosensor for differentiating ssDNA from dsDNA. TPE–T is a “turn-on” fluorescence probe once it forms hydrogen bonds with single-stranded adenine-containing oligonucleotides with high sensitivity and specificity. The working mechanism of TPE–T and its potential in cell imaging are investigated in detail.