Preparation, characterization and DNA photocleavage of diazapyrene-tethered oligothymidylates

Several diazapyrene-tagged oligodeoxynucleotides were synthesized and characterized. The interaction of these modified oligomers with complementary strands indicated that introduction of the diazapyrene moiety increased the stability of the duplex as compared to that of native oligomers. DNA cleavage experiments with diazapyrene-tagged oligomers induced localized scission at the duplex region.