Aromatic stacking and bending of the DNA helix by the individual repeat units of the carboxy-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II

The carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase II consists of multiple repeats of the unique heptad sequence -(Ser-Pro-Thr-Ser-Pro-Ser-Tyr)- which may interact with DNA through the intercalation of adjacent tyrosine aromatic rings. We have examined details of the interaction of this motif with calf thymus DNA through analysis of peptide analogues that contain (1) an amino-terminal tyrosine which mimics the presence of an adjacent heptad repeat and (2) positively-charged lysine residues which facilitate the initial contact between peptide and DNA. Results of fluorescence experiments, NMR titrations, and viscometric analyses indicate that these peptides bind to the DNA helix through a non-classical intercalation mode involving partial aromatic stacking of the tyrosine rings with the Watson-Crick base pairs.     

稀有金属甲氨喋呤配合物与小牛胸腺DNA相互作用的研究

用溴化乙锭为探针研究了稀有金属甲氨喋呤(methotrexate MTX)配合物与小牛胸腺DNA的作用机制，探讨了其作用模式，即甲氨喋呤与DNA是非嵌插结合，稀有金属甲氨喋呤配合物与DNA之间的作用为静电方式和一定的嵌入方式。并求得稀有金属甲氨喋呤配合物与DNA的结合常数。     

Triple helix-forming oligonucleotides which make imperfect Watson-Crick duplexes that compete with the creation of the triplex

Because of the repetitive nature of the sequence, when titrating a G,A-rich, triple helix-forming oligonucleotide (TFO) with increasing concentrations of target duplex in order to obtain the dissociation constant of the complex, a duplex is sometimes first generated at intermediate concentrations of the target. This duplex is based on an imperfect Watson-Crick pairing of the TFO to the pyrimidine-rich strand of the target. An explanation is proposed for this duplex being obtained only in a certain domain of the titration range, before the triple helix becomes predominant.     

Topoisomerase II-mediated site-directed alkylation of DNA by psorospermin and its use in mapping other topoisomerase II poison binding sites

Psorospermin is a plant natural product that shows significant in vivo activity against P388 mouse leukemia. The molecular basis for this selectivity is unknown, although psorospermin has been demonstrated to intercalate into DNA and alkylate N7 of guanine. Significantly, the alkylation reactivity of psorospermin at specific sites on DNA increased 25-fold in the presence of topoisomerase II. In addition, psorospermin trapped the topoisomerase II-cleaved complex formation at the same site. These results imply that the efficacy of psorospermin is related to its interaction with the topoisomerase II-DNA complex. Because thermal treatment of (N7 guanine)-DNA adducts leads to DNA strand breakage, we were able to determine the site of alkylation of psorospermin within the topoisomerase II gate site and infer that intercalation takes place at the gate site between base pairs at the +1 and +2 positions. These results provide not only additional mechanistic information on the mode of action of the anticancer agent psorospermin but also structural insights into the design of an additional class of topoisomerase II poisons. Because the alkylation site for psorospermin in the presence of topoisomerase II can be assigned unambiguously and the intercalation site inferred, this drug is a useful probe for other topoisomerase poisons where the sites for interaction are less well defined.     

Differential DNA recognition by the enantiomers of 1-Rh(MGP)2 phi: a combination of shape selection and direct readout

The enantiomers of the symmetric metallointercalator complex 1-Rh(MGP)2phi5+ [MGP = 4-(guanidylmethyl)-1,10-phenanthroline; phi = phenanthrenequinone diimine] bound to DNA decamer duplexes containing their respective 6 bp recognition sequences have been investigated using 1H NMR. Shape selection due to the chirality of the metal center and hydrogen-bonding contacts of ancillary guanidinium groups to 3'-G N7 atoms define the recognition by complexes which bind by intercalation to duplex DNA. The titration of Lambda-Rh into the self-complementary decamer containing the recognition sequence (5'-GACATATGTC-3', L1) resulted in one symmetric bound conformation observed in the 1H NMR spectrum, indicating that the DNA duplex retains its symmetry in the presence of the metal complex. Upfield chemical shifts of duplex imino protons and the disruption of the NOE base-sugar contacts defined the central T5-A6 intercalation site. The downfield shift of the G8 imino proton supports the conclusion that the pendant guanidinium arms make simultaneous H-bonding contacts to the N7 atoms of 3'-G8 bases on either side of the site. A variable-temperature study of a partially titrated sample (2:3 Lambda-Rh/L1) showed the exchange rate (kobs) at 298 K to be 68 s-1 and the activation barrier to exchange (DeltaG of association) to be 2.7 kcal/mol, a value comparable to the stacking energy of one base step. The results presented coupled with biochemical data are therefore consistent with binding models in which Lambda-1-Rh(MGP)2phi5+ (Lambda-Rh) traps the recognition site 5'-CATATG-3' in an unwound state, permitting intercalation centrally and hydrogen bonding to guanines at the first and sixth base pair positions. The data suggest a different model of binding and recognition by Delta-Rh. The titration of Delta-Rh into a DNA decamer containing the 6 bp recognition site (D1, 5'-CGCATCTGAC-3'; D2, 5'-GTCAGATGCG-3') resulted in two, distinct conformers, in slow exchange on the NMR time scale. The rate of exchange between the two conformers (kobs) at 298 K is 37 s-1, most likely due to partial dissociation between binding modes. The slower rate relative to Lambda-Rh association reflects the relative rigidity of the D1 and/or D2 sequence in comparison to L1. NOE cross-peaks between the intercalating phi ligand and protons of T5-C6, as well as the upfield shifts observed for imino protons at this step, serve to define the central T5-C6 step as the single site of intercalation. The downfield shift of the 3'-G imino protons indicates the complex makes hydrogen bond contacts with these bases. The complex, which is too small to span a 6 bp B-form DNA sequence, nonetheless makes major groove contacts with 3'-G bases to either side of the site. Notably, both 3'-guanine bases are necessary to impart site specificity and slow dissociation kinetics with the 5'-CATCTG-3' site, as evidenced by the extremely exchange-broadened two-dimensional NOESY spectra of Delta-Rh bound to modified duplexes containing N7-deazaguanine at either G8 or G18; the loss of one major groove contact completely abolishes specificity for 5'-CATCTG-3'. DNA chemical shifts upon binding and intermolecular NOE contacts therefore support a model in which Delta-Rh intercalates in one of two canted binding conformations. Within this model, each intercalation mode allows one guanidinium-guanine hydrogen bond at a time, while bringing the other arm close to the phosphate backbone.     

Spectral measurements of intercalated PCR-amplified short tandem repeat alleles

Short tandem repeat (STR) alleles are popular for use as forensic markers due to their highly polymorphic nature. Commonly they are separated by gel electrophoresis and visualized using intercalation dyes. The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in absorbance and fluorescence of DNA-intercalation dye complexes as a function of base pair (bp)-to-dye ratio. The DNA samples consisted of STR alleles from loci THO1, F13A01, and vWFA31. The alleles were PCR amplified and HPLC purified to ensure that only the desired DNA fragment was present in each sample. Alleles ranged in size from 151 bp for locus vWFA (allele 17) to 199 bp for the locus F13A01 (allele 8). The adenine and thymine (AT) content varied from 48% for the THO1 locus to 69% for F13A01 and vWFA31 loci. The homozygous alleles of each locus were mixed individually with the bis-intercalators TOTO-1 and YOYO-1 and their corresponding monomeric dyes TOPRO-1 and YOPRO-1. The absorbance of the DNA-dye complex at 260 nm increased with addition of each intercalation dye. Subtraction of the dye absorbance rendered the DNA absorbance constant at 260 nm. Fluorescence emission increased dramatically upon intercalation of both the monomeric and dimeric dyes into the DNA helix. A plateau of fluorescence intensity was observed at base pair-to-dye ratios of 10/1 for the bis-intercalator TOTO-1 and 5/1 for YOYO-1 for all three loci. The greatest fluorescence intensity response was obtained with the intercalator YOYO-1 using allele 8 of the F13A01 locus, which had the greatest AT concentration.     

Neurogenetics. Part 3. New developments in gene mapping and diagnosis

The addition of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to a DNA solution induces phase separation of droplets of condensed DNA. These droplets possess liquid crystalline properties and their ordering is cholesteric. It was recently proved that daunomycin, by binding to DNA chains, inverts the long-range chirality of their tertiary packing into aggregates. The present paper suggests one possible mechanism by which this inversion can take place. Daunomycin bears a cationic group in its sugar residue. Its intercalation adds a helicoidal distribution of transverse dipoles to DNA chains. By this mechanism, in favourable cases, ionic or strongly polar groups in drugs which bind DNA can induce handedness inversion of the cholesteric ordering of its condensates. This inversion mechanism was tested experimentally using several, charged and uncharged, homologues of daunomycin. All those bearing the cationic ammonium group inverted the long-range chirality of the PEG-induced DNA mesomorphic state. The effects of the uncharged desamino homologues could not be evaluated because of their lower solubility and binding affinity for DNA.     

Stereochemical requirements for intercalation of platinum complexes into double-stranded DNA's

The complexes 1,10-phenanthrolineethylenediamineplatinum(II) and 2,2'-bipyridineethylenediamineplatinum(II) have a planar, aromatic ligand system that facilitates intercalation, as shown by their ability to unwind closed circular duplex DNA. Nonbonded steric interactions can rotate the pryidine ligands out of the coordination plane in bis(pyridine)ethylenediamineplatinum(II), thus preventing intercalation. Fiber x-ray diffraction patterns of the two metallointeracalators indicate that the binding is governed by the neighbor exclusion principle.     

Triple helix formation: binding avidity of acridine-conjugated AG motif third strands containing natural, modified and surrogate bases opposed to pyrimidine interruptions in a polypurine target

A critical issue for the general application of triple-helix-forming oligonucleotides (TFOs) as modulators of gene expression is the dramatically reduced binding of short TFOs to targets that contain one or two pyrimidines within an otherwise homopurine sequence. Such targets are often found in gene regulatory regions, which represent desirable sites for triple helix formation. Using intercalator-conjugated AG motif TFOs, we compared the efficacy and base selectivity of 13 different bases or base surrogates in opposition to pyrimidines and purines substituted into selected positions within a paradigm 15-base polypurine target sequence. We found that substitutions closer to the intercalator end of the TFO (positions 4-6) had a more deleterious effect on the dissociation constant (K d) than those farther away (position 11). Opposite T residues at position 11, 3-nitropyrrole or cytosine in the TFO provided adequate binding avidity for useful triplex formation (K ds of 55 and 110 nM, respectively). However, 3-nitropyrrole was more base selective than cytosine, binding to T >/=4 times better than to A, G or C. None of the TFOs tested showed avid binding when C residues were in position 11, although the 3-nitropyrrole-containing TFO bound with a K d of 200 nM, significantly better than the other designs. Molecular modeling showed that the 3-nitropyrrole.T:A triad is isomorphous with the A.A:T triad, and suggests novel parameters for evaluating new base triad designs.     

Photoaddition to DNA by nonintercalated chlorpromazine molecules

Chlorpromazine (CPZ) forms photoadducts with DNA and photosensitizes DNA strand breaks. These reactions may be responsible for the reported photomutagenicity of CPZ and for the well-known cutaneous and ocular phototoxicity associated with this drug. We have investigated whether CPZ molecules that are intercalated between base pairs in double-stranded (ds) DNA are the absorbing species for the photoaddition reaction. Quenching of CPZ fluorescence by ds-DNA gave nonlinear Stern-Volmer plots, indicating that more than one type of complex is formed. Linear dichroism spectra of CPZ in the presence of ds-DNA showed a minimum at 345 nm, indicating that the absorption maxima of intercalation complex(es) are red-shifted compared to the absorption maximum of free CPZ at 307 nm. The sum of the absorption of all CPZ complexes with ds-DNA, obtained from dialysis experiments, was broadened and maximized at about 315 nm, indicating that complexes not involving intercalation dominate the absorption spectrum at lambda < 350 nm. The wavelength dependence for covalent binding of CPZ to DNA was determined by irradiating 3H-CPZ in the presence of ds-DNA at 310, 322, 334, 346, 358 and 370 nm. The resulting spectrum correlated closely with the absorption spectrum of nonintercalated CPZ rather than with the spectrum of intercalated CPZ, indicating that the latter species is not the chromophore for the photoaddition reaction.     

Comorbidity of drug dependence and other mental disorders: a two-phase study of prevalence at outpatient treatment centres in Italy

The proposed mechanism of action of the antineoplastic drug 3-nitrobenzothiazolo[3,2-alpha]quinolinium chloride (NBQ-2) involves its interaction with DNA by intercalation and inhibition of topoisomerase II activity by arresting the enzyme in a covalent cleavage complex. In an attempt to identify some structural determinants for activity and develop a molecular structure/cytotoxicity correlation, four new structural analogs of the antitumor NBQ-2 were prepared and their cytotoxic activity and DNA binding properties were investigated. The cytotoxic activity was evaluated against six different human tumor cell lines: U937, K-562, HL-60, HT-29, HeLa, and A431. The results showed that these new drugs elicit pronounced cytotoxic effects against U937, K-562, HL-60 and A431 while HeLa and HT-29 were less sensitive to the new drugs. This apparent selectivity was different to that of m-AMSA, a drug currently used for cancer treatment. Since the interaction of NBQ-2 to DNA by intercalation has been proposed as the initial step leading to its antineoplastic activity, DNA binding and changes in DNA contour length induced by the new NBQ-2 structural analogs were also investigated using calf thymus and human DNA. The drug, 7-(1-propenyl)-3-nitrobenzimidazolo[3,2-alpha]quinolinium chloride (NBQ-59) was the most cytotoxic agent of the analog series (IC50 = 16 microM for HL-60 cells), however, it demonstrated the weakest binding to DNA (Kint = 0.9 x 10[5] M-1 for calf thymus DNA). NBQ-59 was also found to be a poor intercalator into the DNA double helix. Therefore, our results suggest that DNA binding is not the primary mechanism of drug action for this family of compounds. In addition structural determinants important for cytotoxicity of the benzazolo quinolinium chlorides were suggested by our results. In particular, the nitro group in the 3 position does not seem to be necessary for bioactivity, while substitutions in the benzazolo moiety have striking effects on the biological activity of the drugs.     

The binding of echinomycin to deoxyribonucleic acid

Echinomycin is a peptide antibiotic which binds strongly to double-helical DNA up to a limit of approximately one molecule per five base-pairs. There is no detectable interaction with rRNA and only extremely feeble non-specific interaction with poly(rA)-poly(rU). Heat denaturation of DNA greatly decreases the binding, and similarly limited interaction is observed with naturally occurring single-stranded DNA. Association constants for binding to nine double-helical DNA species from different sources are presented; they vary by a factor of approximately 10, but are not simply related to the gross base composition. The interaction with DNA is ionic-strength-dependent, the binding constant falling by a factor of 4 when the ionic strength is raised from 0.01 to 0.10mol/litre. From the effect of temperature on the association constant for calf thymus DNA, the enthalpy of interaction is calculated to be about -13kJ/mol (-3kcal/mol). Binding of echinomycin persists in CsCl gradients and the buoyant density of nicked bacteriophage PM2 DNA is decreased by 25 mg/ml. Echinomycin interacts strongly with certain synthetic poly-deoxynucleotides, the binding constant decreasing in the order poly(dG)-poly(dC) greater than poly(dG-dC) greater than poly(dA-dT). For the latter two polymers the number of base-pairs occluded per bound antibiotic molecule is calculated to be three, whereas for poly(dG)-poly(dC) it is estimated to be four to five. Poly(dA)-poly(dT) and poly(dI)-poly(dC) interact only very weakly with the antibiotic. Poly(dI-dC) interacts to a slightly greater extent, but the binding curve is quite unlike that seen with the three strongly binding synthetic polynucleotides. Echinomycin affects the supercoiling of closed circular duplex bacteriophage PM2 DNA in the characteristic fashion of intercalating drugs. At low ionic strength the unwinding angle is almost twice that of ethidium. Likewise the extension of the helix, determined from changes in the viscosity of rod-like sonicated DNA fragments, is nearly double that expected for a simple (monofunctional) intercalation process. On this basis the interaction process is characterized as bifunctional intercalation. At higher ionic strength the unwinding angle relative to that of ethidium and the helix extension per bound echinomycin molecule fall, indicating a smooth progression towards more nearly monofunctional intercalation. Two simpler compounds which act as analogues of the quinoxaline chromophores of echinomycin, quinoxaline-2-carboxamide and the trypanocidal drug Bayer 7602, interact with DNA very much more weakly than does echinomycin, showing that the peptide portion of the antibiotic plays an essential role in determining the strength and specificity of the interaction.     

Studies on the mechanism of DNA sequence selective alkylation by kapurimycin A3 analogs

We synthesized kapurimycin A3 ABCD-ring analog and compared the sequence selectivity for DNA guanine alkylation with those of kapurimycin A3 and ABC-ring analog. In the binding to DNA, it was shown by DNA unwinding assay that ABCD-ring analog binds tightly to DNA by intercalation into DNA duplex. DNA alkylation by ABCD-ring analog was sequence selective with an order of G*G > G*A > G*T > G*C. ABCD-ring analog has a stronger binding ability, a higher reactivity to DNA and a higher GG sequence selectivity in DNA alkylation than those to ABC-ring analog. The aromatic ring system plays an important role in the effective GG selective alkylation.     

Spectroscopy Study on Crystal Structure of Ce（NO3）3 （phen）2 and Interactions of Ce（NO3）3 （phen）2 with DNA

Inrecentyears ,Komiyaetal.[1] havefoundthatrareearthsionsmaybeoneofthestrongestcutre agentsofnucleicacids .Theexperimentalresults ,thatrareearthsrepresscancersonwholeanimalbodiesandonhumanbodies(invitro) ,indicatedthatrareearthselementsactuallyhavestrongf…     

Triple helix formation by (G,A)-containing oligonucleotides: asymmetric sequence effect

Sequence effects on the stability of purine-motif (also called (G, A)-motif) triple helix have been investigated through two symmetry-related systems: one of them had a 5'(GGA)43' core sequence of triplex-forming oligonucleotides (TFOs), whereas the other one had a reversed 5'(AGG)43' core sequence. These (G,A)-containing TFOs were prone to self-associate into intermolecular complexes at room temperature. The competition of TFOs' self-association with triple helix formation was assessed, and minimized. By varying the lengths and the terminal base sequences of TFOs, the following were found that (1) The stability of two triple helices with identical length and base composition but reverse strand orientation may be significantly different (up to a factor of 6). (2) When the 5'(GGA)43' core sequence was extended at the 3'-end by a G, the 13-nt TFO exhibited 3- and 5-fold higher affinity toward the target double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) than the longer 14-nt and 15-nt TFOs in which one and two A(s) were added at the 3'-end of the 13-nt TFO, respectively. In contrast, when the similar extensions occurred at the 5'-end of the 5'(AGG)43' core sequence, the length increase provided a higher binding affinity of TFOs toward the target duplex. (3) The nature of the base triplets involved at the ends of triple helices may have great influence on triplex stability. The observed asymmetric sequence effect of the (G,A)-motif triple helix formation is discussed in terms of the binding strength of the first base triplet(s) at the 3' end which seems to be deeply involved in the nucleation step of triple helix formation and therefore to be a determining factor for triplex stability.     

Antitumour polycyclic acridines. Part 4. Physico-chemical studies on the interactions between DNA and novel tetracyclic acridine derivatives

The non-covalent interactions between a series of new tetracyclic acridine derivatives (5-11) and DNA have been studied by spectrophotometric analysis, fluorescences quenching, thermal denaturation, and circular and linear dichroism. In order to compare the extent of the DNA binding by compounds 5-11 in their neutral and cationic forms, all experiments were conducted at pH 7.4 (physiological pH) and 5.0. The results indicated that compounds 5-11 are strong DNA-binding ligands with DNA affinities comparable to that of m-AMSA (1) or even higher. They showed a stronger DNA binding activity at pH 5.0 as a result of the N-protonation of the pyridoacridine aromatic chromophore. Ethidium-DNA fluorescence assays showed an A-T base pair preference of the binding distinguishing these novel compounds from simple acridines which show a slight G-C base pair preference. Circular and linear dichroism studies indicated that the drugs bind to DNA by undergoing intercalation inside the duplex macromolecule at high DNA:drug ratios and revealed alternative binding modes at low DNA:drug ratios.     

不同分子结构表面活性剂对低氧化度氧化石墨插层机理的探索

以人造石墨为原料制备了低氧化程度的氧化石墨（MOG）,并研究了具有不同极性基团和不同碳链长度的表面活性剂对氧化石墨的插层机理。通过X射线衍射（XRD）、红外光谱（FT-IR）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、拉曼光谱（Raman）和Zeta电位仪对插层前后的氧化石墨进行表征,探讨表面活性剂的分子结构对其插层能力的影响以及表面活性剂的插层机理。结果表明阳离子表面活性剂主要通过其极性端与氧化石墨的羧基、羟基之间的静电吸引作用进入氧化石墨层间进行插层,其插层效果优于阴离子表面活性剂,更容易增大氧化石墨的层间距。阴离子表面活性剂则通过与氧化石墨之间形成氢键和疏水作用力来进行插层。研究表明:表面活性剂极性基团的分子大小越大,非极性端的碳链越长,其插层能力越强。上述研究成果有助于深入认识表面活性在氧化石墨层间的插层机理,同时也对氧化石墨插层改性材料的制备和应用具有重要的指导意义。