FTIR and UV spectroscopy of parallel-stranded DNAs with mixed A*T/G*C sequences and their A*T/I*C analogues

Experimental detection of conformational transitions between forms of DNA: problems and prospects

Under different conditions, the DNA double helix can take different geometric forms. Of the large number of its conformations, in addition to the "canonical" B form, the A, C, and Z forms are widely known, and the D, Hoogsteen, and X forms are less known. DNA locally takes the A, C, and Z forms in the cell, in complexes with proteins. We compare different methods for detecting non-canonical DNA conformations: X-ray, IR, and Raman spectroscopy, linear and circular dichroism in both the infrared and ultraviolet regions, as well as NMR (measurement of chemical shifts and their anisotropy, scalar and residual dipolar couplings and inter-proton distances from NOESY (nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy) data). We discuss the difficulties in applying these methods, the problems of theoretical interpretation of the experimental results, and the prospects for reliable identification of non-canonical DNA conformations.

Nuclear translocation of FGFR1 and FGF2 in pancreatic stellate cells facilitates pancreatic cancer cell invasion

Pancreatic cancer is characterised by desmoplasia, driven by activated pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs). Over-expression of FGFs and their receptors is a feature of pancreatic cancer and correlates with poor prognosis, but whether their expression impacts on PSCs is unclear. At the invasive front of human pancreatic cancer, FGF2 and FGFR1 localise to the nucleus in activated PSCs but not cancer cells. In vitro, inhibiting FGFR1 and FGF2 in PSCs, using RNAi or chemical inhibition, resulted in significantly reduced cell proliferation, which was not seen in cancer cells. In physiomimetic organotypic co-cultures, FGFR inhibition prevented PSC as well as cancer cell invasion. FGFR inhibition resulted in cytoplasmic localisation of FGFR1 and FGF2, in contrast to vehicle-treated conditions where PSCs with nuclear FGFR1 and FGF2 led cancer cells to invade the underlying extra-cellular matrix. Strikingly, abrogation of nuclear FGFR1 and FGF2 in PSCs abolished cancer cell invasion. These findings suggest a novel therapeutic approach, where preventing nuclear FGF/FGFR mediated proliferation and invasion in PSCs leads to disruption of the tumour microenvironment, preventing pancreatic cancer cell invasion.

Higher order structural effects stabilizing the reverse Watson-Crick Guanine-Cytosine base pair in functional RNAs

The G:C reverse Watson-Crick (W:W trans) base pair, also known as Levitt base pair in the context of tRNAs, is a structurally and functionally important base pair that contributes to tertiary interactions joining distant domains in functional RNA molecules and also participates in metabolite binding in riboswitches. We previously indicated that the isolated G:C W:W trans base pair is a rather unstable geometry, and that dicationic metal binding to the Guanine base or posttranscriptional modification of the Guanine can increase its stability. Herein, we extend our survey and report on other H-bonding interactions that can increase the stability of this base pair. To this aim, we performed a bioinformatics search of the PDB to locate all the occurencies of G:C trans base pairs. Interestingly, 66% of the G:C trans base pairs in the PDB are engaged in additional H-bonding interactions with other bases, the RNA backbone or structured water molecules. High level quantum mechanical calculations on a data set of representative crystal structures were performed to shed light on the structural stability and energetics of the various crystallographic motifs. This analysis was extended to the binding of the preQ1 metabolite to a preQ1-II riboswitch.

Anharmonic vibrational modes of nucleic acid bases revealed by 2D IR spectroscopy

Polarization-dependent two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectra of the purine and pyrimadine base vibrations of five nucleotide monophosphates (NMPs) were acquired in D(2)O at neutral pH in the frequency range 1500-1700 cm(-1). The distinctive cross-peaks between the ring deformations and carbonyl stretches of NMPs indicate that these vibrational modes are highly coupled, in contrast with the traditional peak assignment, which is based on a simple local mode picture such as C═O, C═N, and C═C double bond stretches. A model of multiple anharmonically coupled oscillators was employed to characterize the transition energies, vibrational anharmonicities and couplings, and transition dipole strengths and orientations. No simple or intuitive structural correlations are found to readily assign the spectral features, except in the case of guanine and cytosine, which contain a single local CO stretching mode. To help interpret the nature of these vibrational modes, we performed density functional theory (DFT) calculations and found that multiple ring vibrations are coupled and delocalized over the purine and pyrimidine rings. Generally, there is close correspondence between the experimental and computational results, provided that the DFT calculations include explicit waters solvating hydrogen-bonding sites. These results provide direct experimental evidence of the delocalized nature of the nucleotide base vibrations via a nonperturbative fashion and will serve as building blocks for constructing a structure-based model of DNA and RNA vibrational spectroscopy.

Probing DNA's interstrand orientation with gold nanoparticles

The interstrand orientation of a DNA duplex plays a pivotal role in its biological and chemical functions. Therefore, developing an efficient way to determine (control and monitor) the parallel or antiparallel conformation of a DNA duplex is of great significance, which, however, remains a big challenge under some circumstances. In this work, we demonstrate that gold nanoparticles tagged on DNA are especially useful in trapping and detecting a special interstrand orientation of a DNA double helix, based on inherent electrostatic and steric repulsions between nanoparticles which will affect their self-assembly into a large structure. More importantly, some of the conformations revealed by the gold nanoparticle assay may even not be thermodynamically preferred and thus will be hard to detect using currently available methods. This simple, straightforward, and efficient methodology capable of dictating and probing a special DNA duplex structure provides a useful tool for conformational analyses and functional explorations of biomolecules as well as biophysical and nanobiomedical research.

Mg2+ binding and archaeosine modification stabilize the G15 C48 Levitt base pair in tRNAs

The G15-C48 Levitt base pair, located at a crucial position in the core of canonical tRNAs, assumes a reverse Watson-Crick (RWC) geometry. By means of bioinformatics analysis and quantum mechanics calculations we show here that such a geometry is moderately more stable than an alternative bifurcated trans geometry, involving the guanine Watson-Crick face and the cytosine keto group, which we have also found in known RNA structures. However we also demonstrate that the RWC geometry can take advantage of additional stabilizing effects such as metal binding or post-transcriptional chemical modification. One of the few strong metal binding sites characterized for cytosolic tRNAs is localized on G15, and a domain-specific complex modification known as archaeosine is widespread at position 15 in archaeal tRNAs. We have found that both the bound Mg2+ ion and the archaeosine modification induce an analogous electron density redistribution, which results in an effective stabilization of the RWC geometry. Metal binding and chemical modification thus play an interchangeable role in stabilizing the G15-C48 correct geometry. Interestingly, these different but convergent strategies are selectively adopted in the different life domains.

Hoogsteen-paired homopurine [RP-PS]-DNA and homopyrimidine RNA strands form a thermally stable parallel duplex

Homopurine deoxyribonucleoside phosphorothioates possessing all internucleotide linkages of R(P) configuration form a duplex with an RNA or 2'-OMe-RNA strand with Hoogsteen complementarity. The duplexes formed with RNA templates are thermally stable at pH 5.3, while those formed with a 2'-OMe-RNA are stable at neutrality. Melting temperature and fluorescence quenching experiments indicate that the strands are parallel. Remarkably, these duplexes are thermally more stable than parallel Hoogsteen duplexes and antiparallel Watson-Crick duplexes formed by unmodified homopurine DNA molecules of the same sequence with corresponding RNA templates.

Parallel DNA double helices incorporating isoG or m5isoC bases studied by FTIR, CD and molecular modeling

FTIR spectroscopy has been used to follow the formation of parallel stranded DNA duplexes incorporating isoG or m5isoC bases and determine their base pairing scheme. The results are discussed in comparison with data concerning anti-parallel duplexes with comparable base composition and sequence. In duplexes containing A-T and isoG-C or m5isoC-G base pairs shifts of the thymine C2=O2 and C4=O4 carbonyl stretching vibrations (to lower and higher wavenumbers, respectively, when compared to their positions in classical cis Watson-Crick (WC) base pairs) reflect the formation of trans Watson-Crick A-T base pairs. All carbonyl groups of cytosines, m5isocytosines, guanines and isoguanines are found to be involved in hydrogen bonds, indicative of the formation of isoG-C and m5isoC-G base pairs with three hydrogen bonds. Molecular modeling shows that both structures form regular right handed helices with C2'endo sugar puckers. The role of the water content on the helical conformation of the parallel duplexes has been studied by FTIR and CD. It is found that a conformational transition similar to the B --> A transition observed for anti-parallel duplexes induced by a decrease of the water content of the samples can occur for these parallel duplexes. Their helical flexibility has been evidenced by FTIR studies on hydrated films by the emergence of absorption bands characteristic of A type geometry, in particular by an S-type --> N-type repuckering of the deoxyribose. All sugars in the parallel duplex with alternating d(isoG-A)/d(C-T) sequence can adopt an N-type geometry in low water content conditions. The conformational transition of the parallel hairpin duplex with alternating d(isoG-A)/d(C-T) sequence was followed by circular dichroism in water/trifluoroethanol solutions and its free energy at 0 degrees C was estimated to be 6.6 +/- 0.3 kcal mol(-1).

Fluorescent 2-pyrimidinone nucleoside in parallel-stranded DNA

Stretches of parallel-stranded (ps) double-helical DNA can arise within antiparallel-stranded (aps) Watson-Crick DNA in looped structures or in the presence of sequence mismatches. Here we studied an effect of a pyrimidinone-G (PG) base pair on the stability and conformation of the ps DNA to explore whether P is useful as a structural probe.

A library of IR bands of nucleic acids in solution

This review presents a compilation and discussion of infrared (IR) bands characteristic of nucleic acids in various conformations. The entire spectral range 1800-800 cm(-1) relevant for DNA/RNA in aqueous solution has been subdivided into four sections. Each section contains descriptions of bands appearing from group specific parts of nucleic acid structure, such as nucleobase, base-sugar, sugar-phosphate and sugar moiety. The approach allows comparisons of information obtained from one spectral region with another. The IR band library should facilitate detailed and unambiguous assignment of structural changes, ligand binding, etc. in nucleic acids from IR spectra. is aimed at highlighting specific features that are useful for following major changes in nucleic acid structures. also concerns some recent results, where IR spectroscopy has been used to obtain semi-quantitative information on coexisting modes of sugar pucker in oligonucleotides.

Hoogsteen-based parallel-stranded duplexes of DNA. Effect of 8-amino-purine derivatives

The structure of parallel-stranded duplexes of DNA-containing a mixture of guanines (G) and adenines (A) is studied by means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, as well as NMR and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Results demonstrate that the structure is based on the Hoogsteen motif rather than on the reverse Watson-Crick one. Molecular dynamics coupled to thermodynamic integration (MD/TI) calculations and melting experiments allowed us to determine the effect of 8-amino derivatives of A and G and of 8-amino-2'-deoxyinosine on the stability of parallel-stranded duplexes. The large stabilization of the parallel-stranded helix upon 8-amino substitution agrees with a Hoogsteen pairing, confirming MD, NMR, and CD data, and suggests new methods to obtain DNA triplexes for antigene and antisense purposes.