Fluorescent Purine Nucleosides and Their Applications

Fluorescent nucleosides have been used in diverse fields as powerful reporter molecules for investigating structures, functions, and interactions of DNA and RNA, in addition to the conventional applications related to genomics such as gene detection, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing, and fluorescence imaging. In addition to the traditional fluorescent nucleosides such as 2-aminopurine (2AP), different types of fluorescent nucleosides possessing other functions such as the ability of sensing viscosity, polarity, and surrounding pH at local environments of nucleic acids have been developed. In this chapter, the design strategy of various fluorescent nucleosides, particularly purine derivatives, are described together with their photophysical characteristics. Fluorescent purine nucleosides are classified into several types depending upon their structural features. Design concept for environmentally sensitive fluorescent purine nucleosides and their applications to fluorescent DNA probes are described.