Selective Unnatural Base Pairing and Recognition of 2-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyadenosine in DNA Using Pseudo-dC Derivatives

Synthesis of Oligodeoxynucleotide Containing Pseudo-Deoxycytidine and Its Triphosphate Derivative

This article describes a detailed synthetic protocol for the preparation of oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) containing pseudo-deoxycytidine (ψdC) and its triphosphate derivative (ψdCTP). These molecules were synthesized as novel compounds that recognize iso-2'-deoxyguanosine (iso-dG) in DNA. Iso-dG is one of the tautomers of 2-hydroxy-2'-deoxyadenosine (2-OH-dA), which is known as an oxidatively damaged nucleobase, and its selective recognition in DNA is expected to play a very important role in the diagnosis and pathogenesis of diseases. The hydroxyl groups of the known glycal compound were protected with silyl groups, and then coupled with 5-iodouracil under Mizorogi-Heck reaction conditions, yielding ψdU after desilylation and diastereoselective reduction. The endocyclic amino group of ψdU was protected by the benzyl group. Subsequently, the carbonyl group at the 6-position of the nucleobase was activated and converted to an amino group through treatment with aqueous ammonia. The benzyl group was removed, and the exocyclic amino group was protected with a benzoyl group. On one hand, the silyl groups at the 3' and 5' positions were deprotected, converted into a phosphoramidite unit, and incorporated into an ODN. On the other hand, the hydroxyl group at the 5' position was selectively deprotected and then directly converted into the triphosphate using Van Boom's reagent under acidic conditions. © 2025 The Author(s). Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Synthesis of ODNs having ψdC and ψdCTP Basic Protocol 2: Melting temperature of duplex formation between ODNs containing ψdC unit and 2-OH-dA Basic Protocol 3: A single nucleotide primer extension reaction of ψdCTP for a template strand containing 2-OH-dA.

Recognition and Sequencing of Mutagenic DNA Adduct at Single-Base Resolution Through Unnatural Base Pair

DNA lesions are linked to cancer, aging, and various diseases. The recognition and sequencing of special DNA lesions are of great interest but highly challenging. In this paper, an unnatural-base-pair-promoting method for sequencing highly mutagenic ethenodeoxycytidine (εC) DNA lesions that occurred frequently is developed. First, a promising unnatural base pair of dεC-dNaM to recognize εC lesions is identified, and then a conversion PCR is developed to site-precise transfer dεC-dNaM to dTPT3-dNaM for convenient Sanger sequencing. The low sequence dependence of this method and its capacity for the enrichment of dεC in the abundance of as low as 1.6 × 10-6 nucleotides is also validated. Importantly, the current method can be smoothly applied for recognition, amplification, enrichment, and sequencing of the real biological samples in which εC lesions are generated in vitro or in vivo, thus offering the first sequencing methodology of εC lesions at single-base resolution. Owing to its simple operations and no destruction of inherent structures of DNA, the unnatural-base-pair strategy may provide a new platform to produce general tools for the sequencing of DNA lesions that are hardly sequenced by traditional strategies.

7-Deaza-2'-deoxyisoguanosine, a Noncanonical Nucleoside for Nucleic Acid Code Expansion and New DNA Constructs: Nucleobase Functionalization of Inverse Watson-Crick and Purine-Purine Base Pairs

7-Deaza-2'-deoxyisoguanosine forms stable inverse Watson-Crick base pairs with 5-methyl-2'-deoxyisocytidine and purine-purine base pairs with 2'-deoxyguanosine or 5-aza-7-deaza-2'-deoxyguanosine. Both base pairs expand the genetic coding system. The manuscript reports on the functionalization of these base pairs with halogen atoms and clickable side chains introduced at 7-position of the 7-deazapurine base. Oligonucleotides containing the functionalized base pairs were prepared by solid-phase synthesis. To this end, a series of phosphoramidites were synthesized and clickable side chains with short and long linkers were incorporated in oligonucleotides. Fluorescent pyrene conjugates were obtained by postmodification. Functionalization of DNA with a single inverse Watson-Crick base pair by halogens or clickable residues has only a minor impact on duplex stability. Pyrene click adducts increase (long linker) or decrease (short linker) the double helix stability. Stable hybrid duplexes were constructed containing three consecutive purine-purine pairs of 7-functionalized 7-deaza-2'-deoxyisoguanine with guanine or 5-aza-7-deazaguanine in the center and Watson-Crick pairs at both ends. The incorporation of a hybrid base pair tract of 7-deaza-2'-deoxyisoguanosine/5-aza-7-deaza-2'-deoxyguanosine pairs stabilizes the double helix strongly. Fluorescence intensity of pyrene short linker adducts increased when the 7-deazapurine base was positioned opposite to 5-methylisocytosine (inverse base pair) compared to purine-purine base pairs with guanine or 5-aza-7-deazaguanine in opposite positions. For long liker adducts, the situation is more complex. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra of purine DNA differ to those of Watson-Crick double helices and are indicative for the new DNA constructs. The impact of 7-deaza-2'-deoxyisoguanine base pair functionalization is studied for the first time and all experimental details are reported to prepare DNA functionalized at the 7-deazaisoguanine site. The influence of single and multiple incorporations on DNA structure and stability is shown. Clickable residues introduced at the 7-position of the 7-deazaisoguanine base provide handles for Huisgen-Sharpless-Meldal click cycloadditions without harming the stability of purine-pyrimidine and purine-purine base pairs. Other chemistries might be used for bioconjugation. Our investigation paves the way for the functionalization of a new DNA related recognition system expanding the common Watson-Crick regime.

Nucleobase-Functionalized 7-Deazaisoguanine and 7-Deazapurin-2,6-diamine Nucleosides: Halogenation, Cross-Coupling, and Cycloaddition

The functionalization in position-7 of 7-deazaisoguanine and 7-deazapurin-2,6-diamine ribo- and 2'-deoxyribonucleosides by halogen atoms (chloro, bromo, iodo), and clickable alkynyl and vinyl side chains for copper-catalyzed and copper-free cycloadditions is described. Problems arising during the synthesis of the 7-iodinated isoguanine ribo- and 2'-deoxyribonucleosides were solved by the action of acetone. The impact of side chains and halogen atoms on the pKa values and hydrophobicity of nucleosides was investigated. Halogenated substituents increase the lipophilic character of nucleosides in the order Cl < Br < I and decrease the pK values of protonation. Photophysical properties (fluorescence, solvatochromism, and quantum yields) of azide-alkyne click adducts bearing pyrene as sensor groups were determined. Pyrene fluorescence was solvent-dependent and changed according to the linker lengths. Excimer emission was observed in dioxane for the long linker adduct. Bioorthogonal inverse-electron-demanding Diels-Alder cycloadditions (iEDDA) were conducted on the electron-rich vinyl groups of 7-deazaisoguanine and 7-deazapurin-2,6-diamine nucleosides as dienophiles and 3,6-dipyridyl-1,2,4,5-tetrazine as diene. The initially formed complex reaction mixture of isomers could be easily oxidized with iodine in tetrahydrofuran (THF)/pyridine leading to single aromatic tetrazine adducts within a short time and in excellent yields.

Nanoporous Crystalline Materials for the Recognition and Applications of Nucleic Acids

Nucleic acid plays a crucial role in countless biological processes. Hence, there is great interest in its detection and analysis in various fields from chemistry, biology, to medicine. Nanoporous crystalline materials exhibit enormous potential as an effective platform for nucleic acid recognition and application. These materials have highly ordered and uniform pore structures, as well as adjustable surface chemistry and pore size, making them good carriers for nucleic acid extraction, detection, and delivery. In this review, the latest developments in nanoporous crystalline materials, including metal organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), and supramolecular organic frameworks (SOFs) for nucleic acid recognition and applications are discussed. Different strategies for functionalizing these materials are explored to specifically identify nucleic acid targets. Their applications in selective separation and detection of nucleic acids are highlighted. They can also be used as DNA/RNA sensors, gene delivery agents, host DNAzymes, and in DNA-based computing. Other applications include catalysis, data storage, and biomimetics. The development of novel nanoporous crystalline materials with enhanced biocompatibility has opened up new avenues in the fields of nucleic acid analysis and therapy, paving the way for the development of sensitive, selective, and cost-effective diagnostic and therapeutic tools with widespread applications.

The Base Pairs of Isoguanine and 8-Aza-7-deazaisoguanine with 5-Methylisocytosine as Targets for DNA Functionalization

The isoguanine-isocytosine base pair (isoG-isoC) represents an important expansion of the DNA coding system. The base pair is more stable than the canonical adenine-thymine or guanine-cytosine pairs. However, nothing is known on the functionalization of the noncanonical isoG-isoC pair at the isoguanine site. In this work, functionalization of the isoG-isoC and the isosteric base pair that contains 8-aza-7-deazaisoguanine in place of isoguanine is studied. Short ethynyl, more space demanding octadiynyl, and dendritic tripropargylamine residues attached to the isoG-isoC base pairs were introduced to oligonucleotides. 12-mer duplexes were formed by hybridization with single base pair modification. The use of the two modified nucleobases gave us the freedom to shift nucleobase substituents within the major groove of double helical DNA. Clickable side chains at position-7 stabilize the base pair, whereas 8-substituents reduce its stability strongly. The weak isoguanine-thymine or 8-aza-7-deazaisoguanine-thymine base pairs show a similar sensitivity to the position of nucleobase functionalization as base pair matches formed with 5-methylisocytosine. CD spectra of all modified duplexes display the typical shape of a B-DNA with only marginal changes. Fluorescent pyrene labeled DNA with long, short, and branched linkers was generated using click chemistry. Pyrene click adducts with long linkers are essential to maintain or to increase base pair stability. Labeled duplexes are more fluorescent than corresponding single strands. For the dendritic linker excimer emission was observed for single strands but only monomer emission in duplexes.

Synthesis of 6-Alkynylated Purine-Containing DNA via On-Column Sonogashira Coupling and Investigation of Their Base-Pairing Properties

Synthetic unnatural base pairs have been proven to be attractive tools for the development of DNA-based biotechnology. Our group has very recently reported on alkynylated purine-pyridazine pairs, which exhibit selective and stable base-pairing via hydrogen bond formation between pseudo-nucleobases in the major groove of duplex DNA. In this study, we attempted to develop an on-column synthesis methodology of oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) containing alkynylated purine derivatives to systematically explore the relationship between the structure and the corresponding base-pairing ability. Through Sonogashira coupling of the ethynyl pseudo-nucleobases and CPG-bound ODNs containing 6-iodopurine, we have demonstrated the synthesis of the ODNs containing three ^NPu derivatives (^NPu1, ^NPu2, ^NPu3) as well as three ^OPu derivatives (^OPu1, ^OPu2, ^OPu3). The base-pairing properties of each alkynylated purine derivative revealed that the structures of pseudo-nucleobases influence the base pair stability and selectivity. Notably, we found that ^OPu1 bearing 2-pyrimidinone exhibits higher stability to the complementary ^NPz than the original ^OPu, thereby demonstrating the potential of the on-column strategy for convenient screening of the alkynylated purine derivatives with superior pairing ability.