I. Auzanneau et al., IMAGING BY FLUORESCENCE VIDEOMICROSCOPY OF INDIVIDUAL SINGLE-STRANDED-DNA MOLECULES IN SOLUTION, Comptes rendus de l'Academie des sciences. Serie 3, Sciences de la vie, 316(5), 1993, pp. 459-462
We demonstrate that the observation by fluorescence video-microscopy o
f individual single stranded DNA molecules is now possible owing to th
e use of an asymmetric cyanine (YOYO-1) belonging to a new class of fl
uorescent dyes complexing the DNA. The fluorescence of labelled DNA pe
rsists in denaturing conditions showing that the dye does not attach s
imply to the possible secondary structures. Furthermore it is stable u
nder electrophoresis and enables the imaging of stretched molecules.