Lanthanide ion luminescence as a probe of DNA structure. 1. Guanine-containing oligomers and nucleotides.

Laser-induced Eu(3+) luminescence spectroscopy is used to probe the interaction of Eu(3+) ion with guanine-containing nucleotides and single-stranded oligomers. By using time-resolved and non-time-resolved Eu(3+) luminescence techniques, two classes of Eu(3+) binding site are observed in oligo(dG)10, oligo(dG)8, oligo(dG)6, oligo(dG)4, and d-GMP. One class of site binds Eu(3+) ions more strongly than the other. Since the "tight" class of bound Eu(3+) ions have two coordinated water molecules, it is inferred that six or seven atoms from the oligomers are coordinating the Eu(3+). The "weaker" class of Eu(3+) ion sites involve the coordination of six or seven water molecules and therefore, are coordinated by one or two atoms from the oligomer. The tight class of Eu(3+) binding site is attributed to an interstrand association of Eu(3+) with the oligomers forming dimeric or polymeric structures. The dissociation constants (Kd) for the 1:1 complexes Eu(d-GMP)+ and Eu(d-GTP)- have been determined as well as the Kd for the dimerization reaction of Eu(d-GMP)+. The Tb(3+) luminescence enhancement properties of these molecules are also examined in relation to their EU(3+) binding characteristics.