Dominant Pathways of Adenosyl Radical-Induced DNA Damage Revealed by QM/MM Metadynamics

Different Mechanisms of DNA Radiosensitization by 8-Bromoadenosine and 2'-Deoxy-2'-fluorocytidine Observed on DNA Origami Nanoframe Supports

DNA origami nanoframes with two parallel DNA sequences are used to evaluate the effect of nucleoside substituents on radiation-induced DNA damage. Double strand breaks (DSB) of DNA are counted using atomic force microscopy (AFM), and total number of lesions is evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Enhanced AT or GC content does not increase the number of DNA strand breaks. Incorporation of 8-bromoadenosine results in the highest enhancement in total number of lesions; however, the highest enhancement in DSB is observed for 2'-deoxy-2'-fluorocytidine, indicating different mechanisms of radiosensitization by nucleoside analogues with the halogen substituent on base or sugar moieties, respectively. "Bystander" effects are observed, when the number of DSB in a sequence is enhanced by a substituent in the parallel DNA sequence. The present approach eliminates limitations of previously developed methods and motivates detailed studies of poorly understood conformation or bystander effects in radiation induced damage to DNA.

Ribose Alters the Photochemical Properties of the Nucleobase in Thionated Nucleosides

Substitution of exocyclic oxygen with sulfur was shown to substantially influence the properties of RNA/DNA bases, which are crucial for prebiotic chemistry and photodynamic therapies. Upon UV irradiation, thionucleobases were shown to efficiently populate triplet excited states and can be involved in characteristic photochemistry or generation of singlet oxygen. Here, we show that the photochemistry of a thionucleobase can be considerably modified in a nucleoside, that is, by the presence of ribose. Our transient absorption spectroscopy experiments demonstrate that thiocytosine exhibits 5 times longer excited-state lifetime and different excited-state absorption features than thiocytidine. On the basis of accurate quantum chemical simulations, we assign these differences to the dominant population of a shorter-lived triplet nπ* state in the nucleoside and longer-lived triplet ππ* states in the nucleobase. This explains the distinctive photoanomerziation of thiocytidine and indicates that the nucleoside will be a less efficient phototherapeutic agent with regard to singlet oxygen generation.

X-ray and UV Radiation Damage of dsDNA/Protein Complexes

Simple Summary

One of the most common diseases in the world is cancer. The development of an appropriate treatment pathway for cancer patients seems to be crucial to fight this disease. Therefore, solving the problem that affects more and more people in an aging society is crucial. The study presents the results of radiation and photochemical damage to DNA interacting with proteins (specifically/non-specifically). The obtained results of the analysis of photoliths and radiolites by means of the LC-MS technique allowed to identify possible mechanisms of degradation of DNA interacting with proteins. Results suggest the protective action of protein against hydroxyl radicals or solvated electrons and increased damaging effect when sensitized DNA is irradiated by UV light (280 or 320 nm) compared to the DNA alone (without protein interaction).

Abstract

Radiation and photodynamic therapies are used for cancer treatment by targeting DNA. However, efficiency is limited due to physico-chemical processes and the insensitivity of native nucleobases to damage. Thus, incorporation of radio- and photosensitizers into these therapies should increase both efficacy and the yield of DNA damage. To date, studies of sensitization processes have been performed on simple model systems, e.g., buffered solutions of dsDNA or sensitizers alone. To fully understand the sensitization processes and to be able to develop new efficient sensitizers in the future, well established model systems are necessary. In the cell environment, DNA tightly interacts with proteins and incorporating this interaction is necessary to fully understand the DNA sensitization process. In this work, we used dsDNA/protein complexes labeled with photo- and radiosensitizers and investigated degradation pathways using LC-MS and HPLC after X-ray or UV radiation.

Targeted DNA oxidation and trajectory of radical DNA using DFT based QM/MM dynamics

Molecular insight into electronic rearrangements and structural trajectories arising from oxidative damages to DNA backbone is of crucial importance in understanding the effect of ionizing radiation, developing DNA biosensors and designing effective DNA cleaving molecules. Employing a Density Functional Theory based multi-scale Quantum-Mechanical-Molecular-Mechanical (QM/MM) simulation and a suitable partitioning of the Hamiltonian on solvated nucleotide, and single-, and double-stranded DNA, we mimic hydrogen transfer reactions from the backbone by OH radicals and report structural trajectories arising from on-the-fly electronic charge- and spin-density redistribution in these three different structural topologies of DNA. Trajectories reveal that H4′ abstraction can disrupt the deoxyribose moiety through the formation of C4′=O4′ ketone and a π-bond with base at C1′-N9 in a nucleotide versus only partial ketone formation in single- and double-stranded DNA, where the orientation of the base is topologically restrained. However, H5′ abstraction can lead DNA cleavage at 5′ end through the formation of C5′=O5′ ketone and breakage of P-O5′ bond. Results demonstrate that structural damages from oxidative reactions are restrained by base stacking and base-pair hydrogen bonding. The methodology can be suitably used to study targeted DNA and RNA damages from radicals and radiomimetic drugs to design DNA cleaving molecules for chemotherapy.