Application of multivariate curve resolution for the study of folding processes of DNA monitored by fluorescence resonance energy transfer

The study described in the present article used fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to monitor the folding of a 31-mer cytosine-rich DNA segment, from the promoter region of the human c-myc oncogene. Spectroscopic FRET data recorded during experiments carried out in different experimental conditions were individually and simultaneously analyzed by multivariate curve resolution. The simultaneous analysis of several data matrices allowed the resolution of the system, removing most of the ambiguities related to factor analysis. From the results obtained, we report the evidence of the formation of two ordered conformations in acidic and neutral pH values, in addition to the disordered structure found at high temperatures. These ordered conformations could be related to cytosine-tetraplex structures showing different degrees of protonation in cytosine bases.