Conformation of single stranded poly(dA) and its interaction with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole

We studied the interaction of 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) with single stranded poly(dA) using optical spectroscopic methods, including absorption, circular dichroism (CD), and fluorescence spectroscopy. The temperature-dependent conformation of poly(dA) was also investigated. The conformation of poly(dA) varied with temperature, which is explained by the stacking-destacking process of the adenine bases, resulting from the sugar conformation. The hypochromicity and red-shift in the absorption spectroscopy, the lack of CD change in the drug absorption region, and the fluorescence behavior, especially a great accessibility of the I, quencher to the poly(dA)-bound DAPI, suggest that DAPI binds to the outside of poly(dA). The Job plot for the DAPI-poly(dA) mixture demonstrated that a stoichiometry of one DAPI molecule binds to the one phosphate of poly(dA).