应用分子梳技术对DNA与组蛋白相互作用的研究

利用分子梳技术对λ DNA和组蛋白的相互作用进行了研究. 通过这种简单有效的方法，我们将λ DNA分子拉伸到26—28 μm，相当于其原长（约162 μm）的16—17倍. 当组蛋白与DNA结合后，DNA分子发生凝聚现象，复合体的拉伸长度明显变短，其峰值分布在10—14 μm之间. DNA 组蛋白复合体的拉伸长度与组蛋白的浓度、与碱基对和荧光染料的比例有显著的关系. 关键词： 分子梳 组蛋白 DNA 荧光显微     

Insights into the Discrepancy between Single Molecule Experiments

Sharp bending as one of the mechanical properties of double-stranded DNA(dsDNA) on the nanoscale is essential for biological functions and processes. Force sensors with optical readout have been designed to measure the forces inside short, strained loops composed of both dsDNA and single-stranded DNA(ssDNA). Recent FRET singlemolecule experiments were carried out based on the same force sensor design, but provided totally contrary results. In the current work, Monte Carlo simulations were performed under three conditions to clarify the discrepancy between the two experiments. The criterion that the work done by the force exerted on dsDNA by ssDNA should be larger than the nearest-neighbor(NN) stacking interaction energy is used to identify the generation of the fork at the junction of dsDNA and ssDNA. When the contour length of dsDNA in the sensor is larger than its critical length, the fork begins to generate at the junction of dsDNA and ssDNA, even with a kink in dsDNA. The forces inferred from simulations under three conditions are consistent with the ones inferred from experiments, including extra large force and can be grouped into two different states, namely, fork states and kink states. The phase diagrams constructed in the phase space of the NN stacking interaction energy and excited energy indicate that the transition between the fork state and kink state is difficult to identify in the phase space with an ultra small or large number of forks, but it can be detected in the phase space with a medium number of forks and kinks.     

Highly stretched single polymers: atomic-force-microscope experiments versus ab-initio theory

Experimental single-molecule stretching curves for three backbone architectures (single-stranded DNA, various types of peptides, polyvinylamine) are quantitatively compared with corresponding quantum-chemical (zero-temperature) ab-initio calculations in the high-force range of up to two nanonewtons. For high forces, quantitative agreement is obtained with the contour length of the polymers as the only fitting parameter. For smaller forces, the effects of chain fluctuations are accounted for by using recent theoretical results for the stretching response of a freely-rotating-chain model.     

光谱法及分子模拟研究青蒿素与小牛胸腺DNA的相互作用

在pH 7.4的Tris-HCl缓冲溶液中,采用紫外吸收光谱、荧光光谱结合溴化乙锭（EB）荧光探针、共振散射光谱以及DNA熔点（T_m）实验和分子模拟等技术,研究了青蒿素（QHS）与小牛胸腺DNA（ctDNA）分子间结合位点与结合机制。光谱实验结果显示,QHS与DNA发生减色效应,QHS的加入使EB-DNA体系发生静态荧光猝灭,QHS与DNA作用后其467 nm处共振散射峰锐增,与QHS作用引起DNA的T_m值升高5℃,说明QHS竞争性地嵌插入DNA的碱基对中。通过计算获得QHS与DNA间结合常数K_a为1.43×10³ L/mol（298 K）、0.99×10³ L/mol（304 K）。分子模拟结果表明,QHS吡喃环部分结构嵌插到DNA小沟区域GA碱基对间,氢键和范德华力是两者间结合的主要非共价作用方式,该结论与光谱法和热力学所得结果一致。     

Underwound DNA under tension: structure, elasticity, and sequence-dependent behaviors

DNA melting under torsion plays an important role in a wide variety of cellular processes. In the present Letter, we have investigated DNA melting at the single-molecule level using an angular optical trap. By directly measuring force, extension, torque, and angle of DNA, we determined the structural and elastic parameters of torsionally melted DNA. Our data reveal that under moderate forces, the melted DNA assumes a left-handed structure as opposed to an open bubble conformation and is highly torsionally compliant. We have also discovered that at low forces melted DNA properties are highly dependent on DNA sequence. These results provide a more comprehensive picture of the global DNA force-torque phase diagram.     

Thermal denaturation of DNA molecules: A comparison of theory with experiment

Experimental and theoretical results on the helix-coil transition of DNA are reviewed. The theoretical model of the transition is described, and the influence of heterogeneous base pair stacking, and strand dissociation on the predicted melting transition is examined. New experimental transition data on seven DNAs, 154–587 base pairs (bp) long, are reported and compared with theoretical calculations. We review and evaluate previous studies on long DNAs (≥1000 bp) as well as previous and recent results on short DNAs. The comparison of theory with equilibrium melting curves of short DNAs indicates that base pair sequence has a relatively small influence on the stacking free energy. Excellent agreement is obtained between theory and equilibrium transitions of 14 out of 15 fragments 80–587 pb. The deviation between theory and experiment for a 516 bp DNA can be attributed to the formation of stem-loop structures. This may provide the explanation for inconsistent results observed with long DNAs. The effect of single base pair changes on DNA transitions is discussed. Current views on fluctuational opening of base pairs at temperatures below the transition are described.     

Physical Approaches to the Study of DNA

New micromanipulation techniques now enable physicists and biologists to study the behavior of single biomolecules such as DNA. In particular, it is possible to measure the elastic response of individual DNA molecules to changes in the double helix's supercoiling. The force versus extension diagram for torsionally relaxed DNA is continuous and allows one to evaluate the persistence length of the polymer. When the molecule is supercoiled, however, stretching leads to the buildup of torsional stress in the double helix's axis. When the twist energy thus generated increases beyond a critical value, the molecule is locally destabilized and changes conformation. This structural transition occurs at stretching forces which can be exerted in vivo by molecular motors and at degrees of supercoiling found in the cell, and may have implications for DNA structure and function within the nucleus.     

Random flight theory and the measurement of fibre length with special reference to the length of DNA

A sort of the random flight theory is applied to the measurement of the fibre length with special reference to the length of a bipolymer DNA from its image contour in an electron micrograph.     

Research on the interaction of cr(III) complex of genistein with DNA

The interaction of the Cr(III) complex of genistein (GEN-Cr) with calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) in Tris (pH 7.2) buffer was investigated using UV spectra, DNA melting, fluorescence spectra and viscosity. From the absorption titration experiment, no obvious red shift was found, but the notable hypochromicities were observed. When C(DNA)/C(GEN-Cr) = 3, the pi-pi* transitions of the complex at 272 nm showed a decrease in intensity of 29.1%, which indicated that there was remarkable intercalation between complex and DNA base pairs, involving a strong pi-stacking interacting between them. The binding constant for the complex was K = 1.9 x 10(5) mol x L(-1). From the melting curves of ctDNA in the absence and presence of the complex, the melting temperature of ctDNA was found to increase by 5.5 degrees C from 74 to 79.5 degrees C, owing to the increased stability of the helix in the presence of the complex that was intercalated into the double helix. The complex could emit weak luminescence in Tris buffer. The emission intensity of the complex at 340 nm increased steadily with the addition of ctDNA. The result suggested that the complex got into a hydrophobic environment inside the DNA and avoided the effect of solvent water molecules. The strong interaction of the complex and ctDNA also resulted in greatly enhanced intensity of the resonance light scattering spectra. The emission intensity of DNA-EB system at 600 nm decreased remarkably with increasing the complex concentration, which indicated that the complex could be intercalated into DNA and replace EB from the DNA-EB system. According to the classical Stern-Volmer equation, the quenching plots at 25 and 37 degrees C both appeared approximately linear. These results showed that there was one predominant quenching style in this process. Viscosity experiments were carried out by an Ubbelodhe viscometer at 20.0 (+/- 0.1) degrees C. The relative viscosity of ctDNA increased steadily with the increased in the complex. The result clearly showed that the complex could be intercalated between DNA base pairs, causing an extension of the helix, and thus increased the viscosity of DNA. The results above indicated that there is a relatively strong interaction between the GEN-Cr complex and ctDNA, and the complex could bind ctDNA mainly by intercalation. The research suggested that the GEN-Cr complex may be a promising candidate for anticancer, which deserves further research.     

Modeling DNA beacons at the mesoscopic scale

We report model calculations on DNA single strands which describe the equilibrium dynamics and kinetics of hairpin formation and melting. Modeling is at the level of single bases. Strand rigidity is described in terms of simple polymer models; alternative calculations performed using the freely rotating chain and the discrete Kratky-Porod models are reported. Stem formation is modeled according to the Peyrard-Bishop-Dauxois Hamiltonian. The kinetics of opening and closing is described in terms of a diffusion-controlled motion in an effective free-energy landscape. Melting profiles, dependence of melting temperature on loop length, and kinetic time scales are in semiquantitative agreement with experimental data obtained from fluorescent DNA beacons forming poly(T) loops. Variation in strand rigidity is not sufficient to account for the large activation enthalpy of closing and the strong loop length dependence observed in hairpins forming poly(A) loops. Implications for modeling single strands of DNA or RNA are discussed.     

Overstretching of a 30 bp DNA duplex studied with steered molecular dynamics simulation: Effects of structural defects on structure and force-extension relation

Single-molecule experiments on polymeric DNA show that the molecule can be overstretched at nearly constant force by about 70% beyond its relaxed contour length. In this publication we use steered molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to study the effect of structural defects on force-extension curves and structures at high elongation in a 30 base pair duplex pulled by its torsionally unconstrained 5' -5' ends. The defect-free duplex shows a plateau in the force-extension curve at 120pN in which large segments with inclined and paired bases (“S-DNA”) near both ends of the duplex coexist with a central B-type segment separated from the former by small denaturation bubbles. In the presence of a base mismatch or a nick, force-extension curves are very similar to the ones of the defect-free duplex. For the duplex with a base mismatch, S-type segments with highly inclined base pairs are not observed; rather, the overstretched duplex consists of B-type segments separated by denaturation bubbles. The nicked duplex evolves, via a two-step transition, into a two-domain structure characterized by a large S-type segment coexisting with several short S-type segments which are separated by short denaturation bubbles. Our results suggest that in the presence of nicks the force-extension curve of highly elongated duplex DNA might reflect locally highly inhomogeneous stretching.     

钙离子调控微丝切割蛋白中A6亚基解折叠的单分子力谱研究

在生命活动中,金属离子扮演了非常重要的角色.微丝切割蛋白(adseverin)需要钙离子的活化才能行使其切割肌动蛋白微丝的功能.本文通过基于原子力显微镜的单分子力谱研究了微丝切割蛋白C端末的A6亚基在结合钙离子前后的力学解折叠机理.实验结果显示:在未结合钙离子时,A6的解折叠表现为两态过程;在结合钙离子后A6力学稳定性显著提高;同时,钙离子的结合使得A6解折叠过程中出现稳定的中间态.通过对中间态的链长的分析,我们推测了中间态对应着A6的N端部分解折叠.而这一部分的解折叠可以使得掩藏在该结构后的A5亚基中肌动蛋白微丝结合位点暴露,从而促使微丝切割蛋白执行功能.我们的实验结果为理解微丝切割蛋白的工作原理提供了新的实验证据.     

The kinetics of force-dependent hybridization and strand-peeling of short DNA fragments

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) carries the genetic information in all living organisms. It consists of two interwound single-stranded (ss) strands, forming a double-stranded (ds) DNA with a right-handed double-helical conformation. The two strands are held together by highly specific basepairing interactions and are further stabilized by stacking between adjacent basepairs. A transition from a dsDNA to two separated ssDNA is called melting and the reverse transition is called hybridization. Applying a tensile force to a dsDNA can result in a particular type of DNA melting, during which one ssDNA strand is peeled away from the other. In this work, we studied the kinetics of strand-peeling and hybridization of short DNA under tensile forces. Our results show that the force-dependent strand-peeling and hybridization can be described with a simple two-state model. Importantly, detailed analysis of the force-dependent transition rates revealed that the transition state consists of several basepairs dsDNA.     

Influences of flexible defect on the interplay of supercoiling and knotting of circular DNA

Knots are discovered in biophysical systems, such as DNA and proteins. Knotted portions in knotted DNA are significantly bent and their corresponding bending angles are comparable with or larger than the sharp bending angle resulting in flexible defects. The role of flexible defects in the interplay of supercoiling and knotting of circular DNA were predicted by a Monte Carlo simulation. In knotted DNA with a particular knot type, a flexible defect noticeably enhances the supercoiling of the knotted DNA and the decreasing excitation energy makes the knotted portion more compact. A reduction in twist rigidity and unwinding of flexible defects are incorporated into the numerical simulations, so that interplay of supercoiling and knotting of circular DNA is studied under torsional conditions. Increasing unwinding not only results in a wider linking number distribution, but also leads to a drift of the distribution to lower values. A flexible defect has obvious effects on knotting probability. The summation of equilibrium distribution probability for nontrivial knotted DNA with different contour length does not change with excitation energy monotonically and has a maximum at an intermediate value of excitation energy around 5 kBT. In the phase space of knot length and gyration radius of knotted DNA, knot length does not anticorrelate with its gyration radius, which is attributed to the flexible defect in the knotted portion, which leads to the release of bending energy and inhibited the competition between entropy and bending energy.     

Effect of dipole forces on the structure of the liquid phases of DNA

The dipole-dipole contribution to the energy of the pair interaction between DNA molecules has been calculated and analyzed. Rigid fragments of DNA, i.e., of a length of about the persistent length, which have discrete dipole moments of base pairs, are considered. For a given distance between the centers of mass of molecules, the energy of the dipole-dipole interaction is a function of three angular variables; the angles ?₁ and ?₂ between the central dipoles of both molecules and the z axis passing through the centers of the molecules, as well as the angle ξ between long axes of the molecules, are taken as these variables. It is shown that the dipole energy has minima when the mutual orientation of the molecules satisfies one of the following conditions: (i) ?₁ = ?₂ = 0 or (ii) ?₁ = ?₂ = π. The cholesteric twist angle ξ can be both positive and negative in dependence on the type of the minimum. For realistic cholesteric dispersion parameters, the dipole energy is only slightly lower than the experimentally known binding energy of the molecules in dispersion. The results allow the assumption that the dipole forces significantly affect the structure and other properties of DNA suspensions; in particular, they can lead to nontrivial texture phenomena, biaxial correlation, and multistability.     

糠醛缩壳寡糖席夫碱及Cu(Ⅱ)配合物与DNA之间的作用机制

以糠醛和壳寡糖反应生成的席夫碱,与不同摩尔比的Cu2+配位合成配合物FCOS-Cu11、FCOS-Cu13和FCOS-Cu31,并研究配合物与DNA之间的作用机制。采用循环伏安、紫外-可见吸收光谱、粘度和DNA熔点测定的方法,分别研究了席夫碱及配合物与DNA之间的作用机制。合成的3种配合物具有电化学活性。加入DNA后,配合物的氧化峰电流减小,峰电位微弱移动。配合物的吸收峰强度减色显著,同时伴有峰位红移现象。配合物加入后,DNA的相对粘度和熔点呈增大趋势。结果表明,席夫碱及配合物与DNA之间存在嵌插结合,且3种配合物中的Cu2+含量与DNA的嵌插作用强度有关,结合强度依次为FCOS-Cu11FCOS-Cu13FCOS-Cu31。     

柯里拉京与DNA相互作用的光谱研究

在p H 7.4的生理条件下,以溴化乙锭(EB)作为荧光探针,利用荧光光谱、紫外-可见吸收光谱、共振散射光谱法结合盐效应和DNA熔点(T_m)实验研究了柯里拉京(Cor)与小牛胸腺DNA分子之间的相互作用机制。实验结果表明,Cor静态猝灭DNA-EB体系的荧光。Cor与DNA作用后,其特征吸收峰强度发生减色效应;与DNA作用导致Cor在480.5 nm处的共振散射峰增强,并在330.2 nm处出现新共振散射峰。盐效应对Cor与DNA分子相互作用的影响较小。与Cor作用引起DNA的T_m值升高5.5℃。由此推断,Cor与DNA相互作用的主要方式为嵌插,两者间形成了超分子体系。通过计算获得Cor与DNA间结合常数(K_A)为5.82×10~3L/mol(298 K)、2.47×10~4L/mol(310 K),它们之间的作用为熵驱动的自发、吸热过程,疏水作用力是主要的非共价作用方式。     

DNA分子链电子结构特性研究

在单电子紧束缚近似下，建立了一维无序二元DNA分子链模型，计算了链长为2×10⁴个碱基对的DNA分子链的电子态密度、局域化特性，并探讨了碱基对的不同组分、格点能量无序度对电子局域态的影响.结果表明：由于DNA分子链中格点能量无序及碱基对的不同组分的存在，其电子波函数呈现出局域化的特性，而局域长度作为衡量电子局域化程度的一个尺度，受碱基对的组分及格点能量无序度的影响. 关键词： DNA分子链 电子结构 电子局域态 局域长度     

Ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy of locked single‐stranded oligo(dA) reveals conformational implications of the locked ribose in LNA

We report here the first UV resonance Raman spectroscopic (UVRRS) study on locked nucleic acid (LNA) oligomers. Locking a base in nucleic acid (NA) oligomers produces a conformational change in the glycosyl bond between backbone and base. We present evidence of this change in LNAs when compared to their natural analogs using UVRRS. Wavenumber downshifts and peak amplitude increases, especially of the ∼1481 cm⁻¹ peak that is a spectral marker for part of the glycosyl bond, correlate with the fraction of locked bases when single‐stranded oligomers incorporating up to three locked bases were examined. By varying the position of the locked base within a fixed length sequence, we conclude that one, or at most two bases, on either side of the lock is affected. We further conclude from these data, and previously published reports, that the conformation of LNA is determined by imidazole–imidazole and pyrimidine–pyrimidine repulsion and imidazole–pyrimidine attraction in contrast to dispersion attraction‐dependent aggregation in the B conformation of DNA. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fluid adsorption at the base of a cylinder

We consider the adsorption of fluid at a cylinder protruding from a flat substrate. For small contact angles θ, a liquid drop condenses at the base, the size of which is determined by macroscopic arguments. The adsorption exhibits scaling behavior related to a number of phase transitions and, for systems with short-ranged forces, shows a remarkable property: for small θ, the height and width of the drop are near identical to expressions for the thickness and parallel correlation length for microscopic wetting films. The only difference is that the bulk correlation length is replaced by the cylinder radius. This geometrical amplification of the microscopic lengths occurs for second-order, first-order, and complete wetting transitions, and is specific to three dimensions. Similar phenomena occurs for long-ranged forces, and shows crossover scaling behavior.