Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Kazuki Tainaka.
A modified nucleobase 7-vinyl-7-deazaguanine ((V)G) produced adducts with maleimides through Diels-Alder cycloaddition under very mild conditions. By this method, post-synthetic modification to oligonucleotides with diverse functionality (carboxylic acid, pyrene, benzophenone, succinimidyl ester, nitroxide and biotin) was accomplished.
We report a novel fluorescent nucleobase, (DNC)U, for the mapping of the local dielectric properties around DNA. Fluorescence spectra of the nucleoside d(DNC)U showed a significant shift depending on the solvent polarity. This property was used to determine the dielectric constants of the interior of DNA-binding proteins, such as DNA polymerases. We were able to demonstrate that the DNA-binding region of the Klenow fragment is a lower polarity site, as shown by the blue shift of the fluorescence peak originating from (DNC)U.