Progress of Spectral Probes for Nucleic Acids

Spectral probes have been widely used for the structural and quantitative study of nucleic acids. Traditional probes including absorption-type, fluorescent, and chemiluminescent probes continue to be developed. Of them, near infrared (NIR) dyes, ruthenium(II), and rare earth complexes are especially suitable for the investigation and determination of biomacromolecules including nucleic acids, so their developments are rapid. Resonance light scattering and molecular beacon are recently developed sensitive probes of nucleic acids. They will become promising tools for studying and determining nucleic acids. This review summarizes recent developments in spectral probes for nucleic acids, and 148 references are quoted.