Fluorogenic “photoclick” labelling of DNA using a Cy3 dye

Abstract

Two 2′-deoxyuridines as new building blocks for automated DNA synthesis carry a small aryltetrazole as “photoclickable” group at their 5-positions. The postsynthetic “photoclick” labeling of such presynthesized DNA using a maleimide-modified Cy3 dye shows an up to 17-fold fluorogenicity due to an energy transfer between the pyrazoline moiety and the Cy3 fluorophore in the DNA products. This concept is also applicable to other maleimide-modified dyes.