This research project involves the study of the interaction of nucleic acids with cresyl violet, (CV) a small, planar, and aromatic dye molecule that exhibits a different color when interacting with DNA versus RNA. Nucleic acid oligos that were analyzed were homo-polymers and were 15 bases in length. UV-Vis Spectrophotometry was used to provide a quantitative description of the color differences, to compare and contrast CV’s interaction with DNA and RNA. The wavelength scans of the different oligos are unique and therefore indicate the DNA//RNA-CV interactions could be, at least in part, base-dependent. In effort to explore the pH effect on CV, titrations were performed to determine the pKa values. Our results suggest that the observations when CV is bound to nucleic acids may be the result of the local pH environment created by the DNA and RNA oligos.

Investigation into the interactions of cresyl violet with nucleic acid molecules.

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