Richardson C L, Schulman G E
Biochim Biophys Acta. 1981 Jan 29;652(1):55-63. doi: 10.1016/0005-2787(81)90208-2.
The increase in the fluorescence polarization of acridine orange upon binding to DNA molecules is used as the basis of a competitive method to study the interaction of a variety of fluorescent and non-fluorescent compounds with DNA. Test compounds that interact with DNA inhibit both the binding of acridine orange to DNA and the accompanying increase in fluorescence polarization. Actinomycin D exhibits a dose-dependent inhibition of acridine orange-DNA binding with Micrococcus luteus DNA, calf thymus DNA, and poly(dG-dC); no detectable inhibition of acridine orange intercalation into poly(dA-dT) is observed. In contrast, proflavine shows similar acridine orange inhibition for poly(dA-dT), calf thymus DNA and M. luteus DNA.
