Fluorescent molecular probes based on oligothiophene moieties

The use of molecular beacons, which become fluorescent upon hybridization, is the simplest method to recognize a DNA target. The applications spans from the diagnosis of infectious and genetic diseases to the identification of species of interest in agrobiology. We present experiments with a new class of fluorophores based on the properties of oligothiophenes, that can be chemically derivatized to emit in the desired region of the visible spectrum, thus allowing multilabelling experiments with a great homogeneity of behaviour.