Electron transfer between bases in double helical DNA.

Fluorescent analogs of adenine that selectively oxidize guanine were used to investigate photoinduced electron transfer through the DNA pi-stack as a function of reactant stacking and energetics. Small variations in these factors led to profound changes in the kinetics and distance dependences of DNA-mediated electron-transfer reactions. Values of beta, a parameter reflecting the dependence of electron transfer on distance, ranged from 0.1 to 1.0 per angstrom. Strong stacking interactions result in the fastest electron-transfer kinetics. Electrons are thus transported preferentially through an intrastrand rather than interstrand pathway. Reactant energetics also modulate the distance dependence of DNA-mediated charge transport. These studies may resolve the range of disparate results previously reported, and paradigms must now be developed to describe these properties of the DNA pi-stack, which can range from insulator- to "wire"-like.