Diarylethene-modified nucleotides for switching optical properties in DNA

• Sebastian Barrois and
• Hans-Achim Wagenknecht

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2012, 8, 905–914, doi:10.3762/bjoc.8.103

• with a representative set of chromophore-modified oligonucleotides and found that the DNA-polymerase-catalyzed nucleotide incorporation opposite to attached chromophores at the 5-position of uridine follows Watson–Crick selectivity [49]. In the meantime, DNA polymerases have been evolved that have an

• photoswitchable components in nucleic acids and are suitable for the control of a variety of different biological functions. The photoinduced cis–trans isomerization of azobenzene nucleosides can reversibly switch between the formation and dissociation of DNA duplexes [14][15][16][17], photoregulate DNA

• polymerase reaction [18], photocontrol DNA triplex formation [19], and drive photon-fueled DNA-based nanomachines [20][21]. Concerning the extent of structural change, the cis–trans isomerization of azobenzenes behaves much simpler than the ring opening of spiropyrans to merocyanines. In the latter case not