At nonzero temperatures, stacked structures of methylated nucleic acid base pairs and microhydrated nonmethylated nucleic acid base pairs are favored over planar hydrogen-bonded structures: a molecular dynamics simulations study

The dynamic structure of all ten possible nucleic acid (NA) base pairs and methylated NA base pairs hydrated by a small number of water molecules (from 1 to 16) was determined by using molecular dynamics simulations in the NVE microcanonical and NVT canonical ensembles with the Cornell force field (W. D. Cornell, P. Cieplak, C. I. Bayly, I. R. Gould, K. M. Merz, D. M. Ferguson, D. C. Spellmeyer, T. Fox, J. E. Caldwell, P. Kollman, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 5179). The presence of one water molecule does not affect the structure of any hydrogen-bonded (H-bonded) nonmethylated base pair. An equal population of H-bonded and stacked structures of adenine...adenine, adenine...guanine and adenine... thymine pairs is reached if as few as two water molecules are present, while obtaining equal populations of these structures in the case of adenine...cytosine, cytosine...thymine, guanine... guanine and guanine...thymine required the presence of four water molecules, and in the case of guanine...cytosine, six. A comparable population of planar, H-bonded and stacked structures for cytosine...cytosine and thymine... thymine base pairs was only obtained if at least eight water molecules hydrated a pair. Methylation of bases changed the situation dramatically and stacked structures were favoured over H-bonded ones even in the absence of water molecules in most cases. Only in the case of methyl cytosine...methyl cytosine, methyl guanine...methyl guanine and methyl guanine...methyl cytosine pairs were two, two or six water molecules, respectively, needed in order to obtain a comparable population of planar, H-bonded and stacked structures. We believe that these results give clear evidence that the preferred stacked structure of NA base pairs in the microhydrated environment, and also apparently in a regular solvent, is due to the hydrophilic interaction of a small number of water molecules. In the case of methylated bases, it is also due to the fact that the hydrogen atoms most suitable for the formation of H-bonds have been replaced by a methyl group. A preferred stacked structure is, thus, not due to a hydrophobic interaction between a large bulk of water molecules and the base pair, as believed.     

Cis Watson-Crick/Watson-Crick Base Pairs in DNA: A Density Functional Theory(DFT) Study

The four nucleic acid DNA bases(adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine) and ten cis Watson-Crick/Watson-Crick(cis WC/WC) DNA base pairs were investigated by density functional theory(DFT) quantum chemical calculations. Geometry optimizations were carried out on the four bases and ten base pairs at the B3LYP level with 6-31G~(**) basis set. All the optimizations were performed within Cs symmetry. The optimum structures for the four bases and seven cis WC/WC base pairs were obtained, and Natural Bond Orbital analysis(NBO) was based on these structures. The possibilities of matches between any two of the four bases through their Watson-Crick(WC) edges were discussed. The structures of seven cis WC/WC base pairs change to a certain extent relative to these of the four bases due to the formation of hydrogen bonds. These base pairs existing in DNA have an important influence on the structural stability of the double helix. The analysis of the electronic structures and molecular orbitals for seven cis WC/WC base pairs can provide significant information about the relationship between charge transfer along the hydrogen bond and the Frontier orbitals of these base pairs.     

Potential energy surfaces of the microhydrated guanine...cytosine base pair and its methylated analogue.

A complete scan of the potential and free-energy surfaces of monohydrated and dihydrated guanine...cytosine and 9-methylguanine...1-methylcytosine base pairs was realized by the molecular dynamics/quenching technique using the force field of Cornell et al. implemented in the AMBER7 program. The most stable and populated structures localized were further fully reoptimized at the correlated ab initio level employing the resolution of identity M?ller-Plesset method with a large basis set. A systematic study of microhydration of these systems using a high-level correlated ab initio approach is presented for the first time. The different behavior of guanine...cytosine and adenine...thymine complexes is also discussed. These studies of nucleic acid base pairs are important for finding binding sites of water molecules around bases and for better understanding of the influence of the solvent on the stability of the structure of DNA.     

Transport Selectivity of a Diethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate- Based Thymine-imprinted Polymeric Membrane over a Cellulose Support for Nucleic Acid Bases

The binding mechanism between 9-vinyladenine and pyrimidine base thymine in methanol was studied with UV-visible spectrophotometric method. Based on this study, using thymine as a template molecule, 9-vinyladenine as a novel functional monomer and diethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a new cross-linker, a specific diethylene glycol dimethacrylate-based molecularly imprinted polymeric membrane was prepared over a cellulose support. Then, the resultantly polymeric membrane morphologies were visualized with scanning electron microscopy and its permselectivity was examined using thymine, uracil, cytosine, adenine and guanine as substrates. This result showed that the imprinting polymeric membrane prepared with diethylene glycol dimethacrylate exhibited higher transport capacity for the template molecule thymine and its optimal analog uracil than other nucleic acid bases. The membrane also took on higher permselectivity than the imprinted membrane made with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linker. When a mixture including five nucleic acid bases thymine, uracil, cytosine, adenine and guanine passed through the diethylene glycol dimethacrylate-based thymine-imprinted polymeric membrane, recognition of the membrane for the template molecule thymine and its optimal analog uracil was demonstrated. It was predicted that the molecularly imprinted membrane prepared with diethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker might be applicable to thymine assay of absolute hydrolysates of DNA or uracil assay of absolute hydrolysates of RNA in biological samples because of its high selectivity for the template molecule thymine and its optimal analog uracil.     

Gas phase interaction of zinc ion with purine and pyrimidine DNA and RNA bases

The interaction of uracil, thymine, cytosine, adenine, and guanine with zinc ion was studied at the density functional B3LYP/6‐311+G(2df,2p) level. Different binding sites allowing both mono‐metal and bi‐metal coordination were considered for the different low‐lying tautomers of nucleic acid bases. Zinc ion forms stable compounds with all nucleobases. Except for cytosine, mono‐coordination appears to be less favored than bi‐coordination in the other pyrimidines. Instead, the preferred sites in the case of adenine and guanine were found to be the N7 and O6 and N7 and N6 pairs of atoms, respectively. Zinc ion affinity was evaluated for all the complexes and compared with values previously obtained for other transition metal ions. In the present case, the following order of metal ion affinity (MIA) was found: G>A>C>T>U. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Oligonucleotide cross-linking with copper ions. Spectral and quantum chemical study

Copper(II) complexes with synthetic oligonucleotides consisting of repeating adenine–thymine and guanine–cytosine complementary base pairs have been studied by UV spectroscopy and simulated by DFT quantum chemical calculations at the B3LYP/6-311G++(d,p) level of theory with inclusion of solvation (hydration) effects. The obtained data suggest selective interaction of copper(II) ions with guanine–cytosine complementary pairs, followed by DNA cross-linking at those sites.     

MP2 study on the hydrogen-bonding interaction between 5-fluorocytosine and DNA bases: A,C, G,T

The 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) is a fluorinated cytosine analog that is used as an antifungal agent. In this work, we present the hydrogen-bonding base pairs involving 5-FC bound to the four bases in DNA: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T). Full geometry optimizations have been performed for the studied complexes by MP2 method. The interaction energies were corrected for the basis set superposition error, using the full Boys–Bernardi counterpoise correction scheme. Hydrogen-bonding patterns of these base pairs were characterized using NBO analysis and AIM analysis. According to the calculated binding energies and structural parameters, the stability of the base pairs decreases in the following order: 5-FC:G > 5-FC:C > 5-FC:A > 5-FC:T.     

DFT and MP2 investigations on the hydrogen bonding interaction between 5,6-dihydrothymine and dna bases: A, C, G, T

5,6-Dihydrothymine (DHT) is a nucleobase lesion induced by the action of ionizing radiation on thymine residue in DNA. In this work, we present the hydrogen bonding base pairs involving 5,6-dihydrothymine bound to four bases in DNA: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T). Full geometry optimizations are performed for the studied complexes by the B3LYP method. Interaction energies are corrected for the basis set superposition error, using the full Boys-Bernardi counterpoise correction scheme. Hydrogen bonding patterns of these base pairs are characterized using NBO and AIM analysis. According to the calculated binding energies and structural parameters, the stability of the base pairs decrease in the following order: DHT:G ～ DHT:A > DHT:C > DHT:T.     

Properties of the optimal environment inducing tautomerization of complementary base pairs

The optimal environment charge configurations are predicted for the tautomerization of complementary base pairs into their corresponding rare forms, and vice versa. Results indicate that cations approaching the N₃ guanine site may induce tautomerization of the normal guanine—cytosine (G---C) base pair into its rare form. The reverse process requires that the cation approach the O₂ thymine site of the rare adenine*—thymine* pair (A*---31T*) or the O₆ guanine site of rare guanine*—cytosine* base pair (G*---C*). Possible mutagenic and antimutagenic roles of metal cations approaching base pairs are also discussed.     

Base pairing patterns of DNA base lesion spiroiminodihydantoin: A DFT study

The DNA base lesion spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp) is produced in biological systems endogenously and can cause mutation and cancer. It is considered to be more mutagenic and deleterious than 8‐oxoguanine and other oxidized guanine products such as guanidinohydantoin (Gh) and imidazolone. In this work, the base pairing patterns of Sp with each of the normal nucleic acid bases of DNA have been investigated thoroughly using the B3LYP, M06‐2X, and wB97X‐D functionals of density functional theory in conjunction with the aug‐cc‐pVDZ basis set. It is found that the magnitudes of interaction energies between the bases and Sp follow the order: Sp‐guanine >> Sp‐cytosine > Sp‐adenine > Sp‐thymine. The strong Sp‐guanine abnormal base pairing may be the main cause of the observed mutagenicity of Sp. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Interaction of angelicin with DNA‐bases (III) DFT and ab initio second‐order Moeller–Plesset study

Angelicin geometry was optimized at MP2/6‐31+G(d,p) level and compared with X‐ray experimental data. The highest π‐electron density was found to be localized on C1? C2 and on C13? C14 as confirmed by the calculated bond length and bond order values. Spectrophptometric properties of angelicin were measured and compared with the computed within the TD‐DFT. Quantum chemical methods were used to study the interaction of angelicin, as a nonlinear furocoumarin, with DNA bases and base pairs. The interactions with DNA bases and base pairs were studied to shade more light on the nature of the intercalation binding forces between angelicin and DNA. Comparing computed electronic properties of angelicin with that of linear psoralens show that the former is a weaker intercalator. The geometry of complexes of angelicin with adenine, thymine, adenine–thymine base pair, cytocine, guanine as well as cytocine–guanine base pair have been optimized in two main orientations, planar and stacked, at the levels of B3LYP/cc‐pVDZ, MP2/6‐31G(d,p) and MP2/cc‐pVDZ. Effect of vertical distance and rotational angle between the stacked molecules on the interaction energy were investigated by the aforementioned methods in gas phase and water media. It was found that ab initio methods which account for the electron correlation effects are the minimum level for studying the noncovalent interactions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010     

DNA-conducting polymer complexes: a computational study of the hydrogen bond between building blocks

Ab initio quantum mechanical calculations at the MP2 level were used for an extensive study concerning the stability of hydrogen-bonded complexes formed by pyrrole and thiophene, which are the most common building blocks of conducting polymers, and DNA bases. Results indicated that very stable complexes were formed with pyrrole, which shows a clear tendency to form specific hydrogen-bonding interactions with nucleic acid bases. Furthermore, the strength of such interactions depends significantly on the base, growing in the following order: thymine < adenine approximately equal to cytosine < guanine. On the contrary, thiophene formed complexes stabilized by nonspecific interactions between the pi-cloud of the ring and the N-H groups of the nucleic acid bases rather than specific hydrogen bonds. Overall, these results are fully consistent with experimental observations: polypyrrole is able not only to stabilize adducts with DNA but also to interact specifically, while the interactions of the latter with polythiophene and their derivatives are weaker and nonspecific.     

Bond energies and attachments sites of sodium and potassium cations to DNA and RNA nucleic acid bases in the gas phase

Gas-phase metal affinities of DNA and RNA bases for the Na(+) and K(+) ions were determined at density functional level employing the hybrid B3LYP exchange correlation potential in connection with the 6-311+G(2df,2p) basis set. All the molecular complexes, obtained by the interaction between several low-lying tautomers of nucleic acid bases and the alkali ions on the different binding sites, were considered. Structural features of the sodium and potassium complexes were found to be similar except in some uracil and thymine compounds in which the tendency of potassium ion toward monocoordination appeared evident. B3LYP bond energies for both metal ions were in agreement with the available experimental results in the cases of uracil and thymine for which the most stable complex was obtained starting from the most stable tautomer of the free nucleic acid base. For adenine, although the interaction of the ions with the most stable free tautomer generated the least stable molecular complex, the best agreement with experiment was found in just this case. For the remaining cytosine and guanine bases, our calculations indicated that the metal ion affinity value closest to experiment should be determined taking into account the role played by the different tautomers of the free bases with similar energy and all the possible complexes obtained by them.     

MP2 study on the hydrogen bonding interaction between 5-hydroxy-5-methylhydantoin and DNA bases: A,C, G,T

The 5-hydroxy-5-methylhydantoin (5-OH-5-Me-dHyd) is a nucleobase lesion induced by the action of ionizing radiation on thymine residue in DNA. In this study, we present the hydrogen bonding base pairs involving 5-OH-5-Me-dHyd bound to the four bases in DNA: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T). Full geometry optimizations have been performed for the studied complexes by MP2 method. The interaction energies were corrected for the basis-set superposition error (BSSE), using the full Boys–Bernardi counterpoise correction scheme. Hydrogen bonding patterns of these base pairs were characterized using NBO analysis and AIM analysis. According to the calculated binding energies and structural parameters, the stability of the base pairs decrease in the following order: 5-OH-5-Me-dHyd:G>5-OH-5-Me-dHyd:A>5-OH-5-Me -dHyd:C~5-OH-5-Me-dHyd:T.     

The small planarization barriers for the amino group in the nucleic acid bases

The amino group in the nucleic acid bases frequently interacts with other bases or with other molecular systems. Thus any nonplanarity of the amino group may affect the molecular recognition of nucleic acids. Ab initio Hartree-Fock (HF) and second-order Moller-Plesset perturbation (MP2) levels of theory have been used to obtain the equilibrium geometries of the C(l) and C(s) structures for five common nucleic acid bases. The energy barriers between the C(l) and C(s) structures have also been predicted. A series of correlation consistent basis sets up to cc-pCVQZ and aug-cc-pVQZ has been used to systematically study the dependence of the amino group nonplanarity. The equilibrium geometries of the nucleic acid bases with an amino group, including adenine, guanine, and cytosine, are examined carefully. At the MP2 level of theory, larger basis sets decrease the extent of nonplanarity of the amino group, but the decrease slows down when the QZ basis sets are used, demonstrating the intrinsic property of nonplanarity for guanine. For adenine and cytosine the situation is less clear; as the HF limit is approached, these two structures become planar. Addition of core correlation effects or diffuse functions further decreases the degree of nucleic acid base nonplanarity, in comparison to the original cc-pVXZ (X=D, T, and Q) basis sets. The aug-cc-pVXZ basis shows smaller degrees of nonplanarity than the cc-pCVXZ sets. The aug-cc-pVXZ basis is less size dependent than the cc-pVXZ and cc-pCVXZ sets in the prediction of the amino-group-related bond angles and dihedral angles and energy barriers for adenine, guanine, and cytosine. The cc-pCVQZ and aug-cc-pVQZ MP2 results may be regarded as benchmark predictions for the five common bases. The predicted classical barriers to planarization are 0.02 (adenine), 0.74 (guanine), and 0.03(cytosine) kcal mol(-1).     

Comprehensive study of the effects of methylation on tautomeric equilibria of nucleic acid bases

Minor tautomers of nucleic acid bases can result by intramolecular proton transfer. These rare tautomers could be stabilized through the addition of methyl groups to DNA bases. A comprehensive theoretical study of tautomers of methylated derivatives of guanine, adenine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil was performed. Molecular geometries of all tautomers were obtained at the density functional theory and MP2 levels with the 6-31G(d,p) basis set, and single-point calculations were performed at the CCSD(T)/6-311G(d,p) level. Tautomers obtained by protonation at the preferred protonation site for methylated isolated bases were compared to their nonmethylated counterparts. The effects of methylation on the relative stabilities of nucleic acid base tautomers are also studied and discussed in this work. The results suggest that some sites on the bases may not be mutagenic and may even stabilize the canonical Watson-Crick form. The results also indicate that a number of methylation sites can stabilize the tautomers, suggesting possible mechanisms for mutagenic changes.     

Theoretical study of the interaction pattern and the binding affinity between procaine and DNA bases

The interacting patterns and mechanism of the binding affinity between the local anaesthetic procaine and four DNA bases (adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine) in neutral form have been investigated in gas phase using the Austin Model l and density functional methods. The results show that the complexes are mainly stabilized by the H-bonding interactions. The bond critical point properties of the optimized complexes were analyzed by using the atoms in molecules theory with DFT method and the results show that the presence of the C?H···O or C?H···N hydrogen bonding. The natural bond orbital analysis was performed to quantitatively evaluate the hydrogen bonding interaction. The interacting energy shows that the binding of procaine with guanine is the most strong, whereas its binding to cytosine exhibits relatively weaker stability. The strength order of the relevant transferred charge between procaine and DNA base with natural population analysis are consist with the HOMO–LUMO gap results for each complex. And the order is accord with the relevant electrochemical experimental results.     

Oxidation of DNA Bases Influenced by the Presence of Other Bases

Electrochemical detection of DNA is a highly important topic. Here we show that the electrochemical responses of one DNA base (guanine, adenine, cytosine or thymine), in terms of oxidation potential, current intensity, peak width and resolution can be highly influenced by the presence of other DNA bases at electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ER‐GO) as well as standard glassy carbon electrode. We have observed that the effects were more significant for adenine base on ER‐GO and cytosine base on glassy carbon (GC) electrode. Differences in responses were generally low in a mixture of four different DNA bases but interestingly, deviations become significantly larger when only one or two other bases were present. Our findings are of paramount importance for future developments in DNA detection and analysis since individual DNA bases are not present in isolation in nature or in typical biosensing systems.     

MP2 study on the hydrogen-bonding interaction between 5-fluorouracil and DNA bases: A,C,G,T

The 5-fluorouracil is a pyrimidine analog effective in the treatment of cancer. In this work, we present the hydrogen-bonding base pairs involving 5-FU bound to the four bases in DNA: adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine. Full geometry optimizations have been performed for the studied complexes by MP2 method. The interaction energies were corrected for the basis-set superposition error, using the full Boys-Bernardi counterpoise correction scheme. Hydrogen-bonding patterns of these base pairs were characterized using NBO analysis and AIM analysis. According to the calculated binding energies and structural parameters, the stability of the base pairs decrease in the following order: 5-FU:A > 5-FU:G > 5-FU:T > 5-FU:C.