Label-free DNA hybridization detection by various spectroscopy methods using triphenylmethane dyes as a probe

Abstract

A new assay is developed for direct detection of DNA hybridization using triphenylmethane dye as a probe. It is based on various spectroscopic methods including resonance light scattering (RLS), circular dichroism (CD), ultraviolet spectra and fluorescence spectra, as well as atomic force microscopy (AFM), six triphenylmethane dyes interact with double strand DNA (dsDNA) and single strand DNA (ssDNA) were investigated, respectively. The interaction results in amplified resonance light scattering signals and enables the detection of hybridization without the need for labeling DNA. Mechanism investigations have shown that groove binding occurs between dsDNA and these triphenylmethane dyes, which depends on G–C sequences of dsDNA and the molecular volumes of triphenylmethane dyes. Our present approaches display the advantages of simple and fast, accurate and reliable, and the artificial samples were determined with satisfactory results.