Stereochemistry of cleavage of internucleotide bonds by Serratia marcescens endonuclease

Synthesis of phosphorothioate oligonucleotides with stereodefined phosphorothioate linkages

A method for solid-phase synthesis of stereodefined PS-oligos via an oxathiaphospholane approach using pure P-diastereomers of nucleoside oxathiaphospholane monomers is described. The oxathiaphospholane monomers are synthesized by phosphitylation of 5'-O-DMTr-N-protected deoxyribonucleosides with 2-chloro-spiro-4,4-pentamethylene-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholane followed by sulfurization. The procedure is general and may be applied to other analogs, depending on the aldehyde (or mercaptoalcohol) used. Starting from an 18O-labeled mercaptoalcohol, the corresponding 18O-labeled phosphitylating reagent and nucleoside monomers can be obtained and used for synthesis of labeled stereodefined PS-oligos, which are useful for studying mechanisms of enzymatic reactions. Details are provided for chromatographic separation of the 5'-O-DMTr-N-protected-deoxyribonucleoside-3'-O-(2-thio-spiro-4,4-pentamethylene-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholane)s into their P-diastereomers, and for manual solid-phase synthesis of PS-oligos. Oxidation of 5'-O-DMTr-N-protected-deoxyribonucleoside-3'-O-(2-thio-spiro-4,4-pentamethylene-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholane)s with selenium dioxide yields their 2-oxo-analogs, which are suitable either for elongation of stereodefined PS-oligos with segments consisting of unmodified nucleotide units possessing phosphate internucleotide linkages, or for generating isotopomeric 18O-labeled PO-oligos of predetermined P-chirality.

Solvent participation in Serratia marcescens endonuclease complexes

The monomer and dimer of the bacterium Serratia marcescens endonuclease (SMnase) are each catalytically active and the two subunits of the dimer function independently of each other. Specific interfacial waters may play a role in stability, complex formation, and functionality. We performed molecular dynamics simulations of both a subunit of SMnase and its model built complex with DNA and analyzed the relation of the hydration sites to the catalytic mechanism. It was found that the binding of DNA has little influence on the global hydration properties of the protein, including occupancy and water residence time distributions. DNA and protein recognition in our model mainly involves direct contacts by hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interactions. Water-mediated contacts exist, but are less common. Three interior water clusters were identified for SMnase. One cluster around the active site in the monomer-DNA complex shows relatively strong interactions between hydration sites as well as between the sites and the biomolecules. The simulated cluster properties agreed well with experimental data. The magnesium ion shows ligand exchange. Although Mg2+ keeps six ligands during the entire simulation, upon the binding of DNA, Asn119 loses its coordination with Mg2+, while one nonbridging oxygen of the phosphate of a DNA residue and two oxygen atoms of the side chain of Glu127 become the ligands. Waters in a nearby cluster exchange and participate in the resolvation of groups in the presence of DNA. Water thus not only participates in the cleavage of DNA but also can stabilize the transition state and the leaving groups in our model.

P-chirality-dependent immune activation by phosphorothioate CpG oligodeoxynucleotides

Many of the biologic activities of phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotides (PS-oligos) are affected by the sense of chirality of the phosphorus atoms of the internucleotide linkages. Some of the activities are increased by the Rp stereoisomer, and others are increased by the Sp stereoisomer. In previous studies, we showed that PS-oligos containing unmethylated CpG dinucleotides in particular sequence contexts can stimulate B cells and other immune cells. These CpG PS-oligos trigger mitogenactivated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways, causing the induction of B cell proliferation and cytokine and immunoglobulin secretion. We investigated whether the immune stimulation by CpG PS-oligos depends on the sense of their P-chirality. CpG PS-oligos synthesized with internucleotide phosphorothioates of Rp configuration at P-atom showed much stronger MAPK activation and induction of I kappa B degradation after 40 minutes of stimulation compared with PS-oligos synthesized with Sp linkages. In order to determine if the enhanced stimulatory effects of the Rp stereoisomer may result from differential cellular uptake, we examined the rates at which fluorescently labeled Rp or Sp CpG PS-oligos were taken up by B cells, but these were found to be identical to each other and to stereorandom PS-oligos. The stronger stimulatory effect of the R stereoisomer did not last for 48 hours, and (3)H-thymidine incorporation assays at this point showed that only the S stereoisomer was active--to approximately the same level as induced by PS-oligos with stereorandom phosphorothioate linkages. This loss of activity of the R stereoisomer most likely resulted from rapid degradation of the oligonucleotides rather than from reduced interaction with the CpG receptor because PS-oligos in which only the CpG dinucleotide was stereodefined were most stimulatory when the CpG was Rp but not when the CpG was Sp. These studies demonstrate that the sense of Pchirality of PS-oligos plays a major role in determining the biologic activities of CpG motifs. Rp-chirality at the CpG is preferred for best stimulation at early time points, but Sp-chirality of the PS-oligo appears to improve stability and may provide more durable effects in prolonged tissue culture systems.

Comparison of the cleavage profiles of oligonucleotide duplexes with or without phosphorothioate linkages by using a chemical nuclease probe

A manganese porphyrin complex, Mn-TMPyP, associated with KHSO(5) is a chemical nuclease able to selectively recognize the minor groove of three consecutive AT base pairs of DNA and to mediate very precise cleavage chemistry at that particular site. This specific recognition and cleavage were used to probe the accessibility of the minor groove of DNA duplexes composed of one phosphodiester strand and one phosphorothioate strand. The cleavage of 5'-GCAAAAGC/5'-GCTTTTGC duplexes by Mn-TMPyP/KHSO(5) was monitored by HPLC coupled to electrospray mass analysis. Each single strand was synthesized with all-phosphate, all- Rp-phosphorothioate and all- Sp-phosphorothioate internucleotide bonds. We found that the manganese porphyrin was able to recognize its favorite (AT)(3)-box binding site within the heteroduplexes, as in the case of natural DNA. Molecular modeling studies on the interactions of the reactive porphyrin manganese-oxo species with both types of duplexes confirmed the experimental data.

Stereochemical course of Escherichia coli RNase H

A new enzymatic method has allowed the assignment of the stereochemistry of E. coli RNase-H-assisted hydrolysis of RNA labelled within the scissile bond with (R(p))-phosphorothioate. This method is based on a stereospecific, two-step enzymatic conversion of cytidine 5'-[(18)O]phosphorothioate into the corresponding 5'-alpha-[(18)O]thiotriphosphate, which is then further used for stereospecific transfer of cytidine 5'-[(18)O]phosphorothioate to the 3'-OH group of a short oligonucleotide with the aid of terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry of the resulting elongated primer revealed that RNase-H-assisted hydrolysis proceeds with inversion of configuration at the phosphorus atom. This result is discussed in the context of current knowledge of the architecture of the active site of the enzyme.

Inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication by P-stereodefined oligo(nucleoside phosphorothioate)s in a long-term infection model

Oligo(nucleoside phosphorothioate)s (S-ODNs), if prepared by conventional methods, consist of a mixture of diastereomers by virtue of the asymmetry of the phosphorus atom involved in the internucleotide linkages. This may affect the stability of the complexes formed between S-ODNs and complementary oligoribonucleotides, which is commonly accepted as the most important factor in determining the efficacy of an antisense approach. Using HIV-1-infected MOLT-4 cells via a long-term culture approach, we studied the influence of the P-chirality sense of stereodefined 28mer oligo(nucleoside phosphorothioate)s, [All-Rp]-S-ODN-gag-28-AUG and [All-Sp]-S-ODN-gag-28-AUG, complementary to the sequence starting at the AUG initiation codon of the gag mRNA of HIV-1, upon the anti-HIV-1 activity. The [All-Sp]-S-ODN-gag-28-AUG at a low concentration of 0.5 microM can completely suppress HIV-1(gag) p24 antigen expression in HIV-1-infected MOLT-4 clone 8 cells for 32 days. Cells treated with [All-Rp]-S-ODN-gag-28-AUG (0.5 microM) showed a high level of the antigen expression at day 16. Furthermore, satisfactory suppression could not be achieved from a random [Mix]-S-ODN-gag-28-AUG, consisting of a diastereomeric mixture of the oligonucleotides. Our results suggest that chemotherapy based upon the use of stereodefined antisense [All-Sp] S-ODN may be a more effective method for reducing the viral burden in HIV-1-infected individuals.