Photoswitchable single-stranded DNA-peptide coacervate formation as a dynamic system for reaction control.

In cells, segregation allows for diverse biochemical reactions to take place simultaneously. Such intricate regulation of cellular processes is achieved through the dynamic formation and disassembly of membraneless organelles via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Herein, we demonstrate the light-controlled formation and disassembly of liquid droplets formed from a complex of polylysine (pLys) and arylazopyrazole (AAP)-conjugated single-stranded DNA.

Photo-Controllable Phase Transition of Arylazopyrazole-Conjugated Oligonucleotides.

Phase transition is a promising aspect of DNA as biopolymers. Anionic DNA oligonucleotides easily form complexes with cationic polypeptides such as polylysine, and duplex formation significantly influences their complexation and resulting microcompartments. In this study, phase transition of microcompartments containing DNA and polylysine was systematically induced by modulating duplex formation of arylazopyrazole-conjugated oligonucleotides with light.

Synthesis and application of a F-labeled fluorescent nucleoside as a dual-mode probe for i-motif DNAs.

Because of their stable orientations and their minimal interference with native DNA interactions and folding, emissive isomorphic nucleoside analogues are versatile tools for the accurate analysis of DNA structural heterogeneity. Here, we report on a bifunctional trifluoromethylphenylpyrrolocytidine derivative () that displays an unprecedented quantum yield and highly sensitive F NMR signal. This is the first report of a cytosine-based dual-purpose probe for both fluorescence and F NMR spectroscopic DNA analysis.