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Role of hydrophobic effect and surface charge in surfactant-DNA association

Bhattacharya, S and Mandal, SS (1997) Role of hydrophobic effect and surface charge in surfactant-DNA association. In: Indian Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics, 34 (1-2). pp. 11-17.

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Abstract

Ethidium bromide is one of the best known DNA intercalator. Upon intercalation inside DNA, the fluorescence due to ethidium bromide gets enhanced by many orders of magnitude. In this paper, we employed ethidium bromide as a probe for studying surfactant-DNA complexation using fluorescence spectroscopy and agarose gel electrophoresis. Surfactants of different charge types and chain lengths were used and the results were compared with that of the related small organic cations or salts under comparable conditions. The cationic surfactants induced destabilization of the ethidium bromide-DNA complex at concentrations in orders of magnitude lower than that of the small organic cations or salts. In contrast however, the anionic surfactants failed to promote any such destabilization of probe-DNA complex. DNA loses its ethidium bromide stainability in the presence of high concentration of cationic surfactant aggregates as revealed from agarose gel electrophoresis experiments. Inclusion of surfactants and other additives into the DNA generally enhanced the DNA double-strand to single strand transition melting temperatures by a few degrees, in a concentration-dependent manner and at high surfactant concentration melting profiles got broadened.

Item Type: Journal Article
Publication: Indian Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics
Publisher: National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources
Additional Information: Copyright of this article belongs to National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources.
Department/Centre: Division of Chemical Sciences > Organic Chemistry
Date Deposited: 30 Jun 2011 12:23
Last Modified: 30 Jun 2011 12:23
URI: http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/38445

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