An active-site guanine participates in glmS ribozyme catalysis in its protonated state

Active-site guanines that occupy similar positions have been proposed to serve as general base catalysts in hammerhead, hairpin, and glmS ribozymes, but no specific roles for these guanines have been demonstrated conclusively. Structural studies place G33(N1) of the glmS ribozyme of Bacillus anthracis within hydrogen-bonding distance of the 2'-OH nucleophile. Apparent pK(a) values determined from the pH dependence of cleavage kinetics for wild-type and mutant glmS ribozymes do not support a role for G33, or any other active-site guanine, in general base catalysis. Furthermore, discrepancies between apparent pK(a) values obtained from functional assays and microscopic pK(a) values obtained from pH-fluorescence profiles with ribozymes containing a fluorescent guanosine analogue, 8-azaguanosine, at position 33 suggest that the pH-dependent step in catalysis does not involve G33 deprotonation. These results point to an alternative model in which G33(N1) in its neutral, protonated form donates a hydrogen bond to stabilize the transition state.     

Oxidation of DNA Hairpins by Oxoruthenium(IV): Effects of Sterics and Secondary Structure

The effects of steric hindrance on the oxidation of DNA by polypyridyl oxoruthenium(IV) complexes have been investigated. The complexes oxidize DNA by activation either of the 1' ribose C-H bond or by oxo transfer to the guanine nucleobase. A method is presented for determining the relative rates of activation of individual sites from the dependence of the extent of cleavage on the oxidant concentration. This analysis shows that hybridization of the labeled strand to its complement attenuates the rate of oxidation of guanine more effectively than the rate of sugar oxidation. Accordingly, higher ratios of guanine/sugar oxidation are observed in single strands. Among the individual guanine residues, however, the relative reactivities are not altered by hybridization; a similar result is obtained for sugar oxidation. This result implies that sequence-dependent chemical reactivity is partly responsible for the different extents of cleavage observed within the sequence. The ability of hybridization to protect guanine from oxidation is also apparent in hairpin studies, where the stem guanines are much less reactive than the loop guanines, and altered sugar conformations in the loop lead to modulated reactivity. Finally, a set of sterically differentiated complexes shows greater steric effects for oxidation of guanine compared to oxidation of sugar, as expected from the relative rates of the single strand and duplexes.     

Characterization of bleomycin cleavage sites in strongly bound hairpin DNAs

The first complete, systematic study of DNA degradation by bleomycin under conditions analogous to those likely in a therapeutic setting has been carried out. Hairpin DNAs selected for their ability to bind strongly to BLM A(5) were used to determine the relationship between high-affinity DNA binding sites and the cleavage efficiency and selectivity of BLM A(5) and deglycoBLM A(5) on these DNAs. Of the 10 hairpin DNAs examined, 8 contained at least one 5'-GC-3' or 5'-GT-3' cleavage site, which have traditionally been associated with strong cleavage by Fe·BLM. In the hairpin DNAs, these included the strongest cleavage sites for BLM A(5) and were generally among those for deglycoBLM A(5). However, numerous additional cleavages were noted, many at sequences not usually associated with (deglyco)BLM-mediated cleavage. The remaining DNAs lacked the preferred (5'-GC-3' or 5'-GT-3') BLM cleavage sequences; however, strong cleavage was nonetheless observed at a number of unusual cleavage sites. The most prominent cleavage sequences were 5'-AT-3', 5'-AA-3', 5'-GA-3', and 5'-TT-3'; treatment with Fe(II)·BLM A(5) or Fe(II)·deglycoBLM A(5) resulted in strong cleavage at these sequences. Additionally, in contrast with BLM A(5), which produced cleavage within the randomized and flanking invariant regions, deglycoBLM A(5) showed a preference for cleavage in the randomized region of the DNAs. Previous reports have established that deglycoBLM exhibits decreased DNA cleavage efficiency relative to BLM. This was also generally observed when comparing cleavage efficiencies for the strongly bound hairpin DNAs. However, some cleavage bands produced by Fe·deglycoBLM A(5) were stronger in intensity than those produced by BLM A(5) at concentrations optimal for both compounds. To investigate the chemistry of DNA degradation, selected hairpin DNAs were treated with n-butylamine following cleavage with Fe(II)·BLM A(5) or Fe(II)·deglycoBLM A(5) to explore the alkali labile pathway of DNA degradation by BLM. While all 10 DNAs showed evidence of alkali labile products, five DNA hairpins afforded some products formed solely via the alkali labile pathway.     

Long-distance radical cation transport in DNA: Horizontal charge hopping in a dimeric quadruplex

A series of DNA hairpins were synthesized and shown to associate to form quadruplexes formed by stacking five G-quartets in an antiparallel orientation. One of the hairpins in the quadruplex was linked covalently at the 5'-end to an anthraquinone (AQ) group and a 32P label was incorporated either at the 3'-terminus of the AQ-containing hairpin or on its partner hairpin in the quadruplex. Irradiation of the AQ group with UV light leads to the one-electron oxidation of the DNA and concomitant introduction of a radical cation into the DNA. Analysis by PAGE and autoradiography shows that the radical cation reacts at guanines both on the AQ-containing strand and with its partner hairpin in the quadruplex. This observation demonstrates that charge migration in DNA occurs vertically along a DNA chain and horizontally within a G-quartet.     

Tertiary DNA structure in the single-stranded hTERT promoter fragment unfolds and refolds by parallel pathways via cooperative or sequential events

The discovery of G-quadruplexes and other DNA secondary elements has increased the structural diversity of DNA well beyond the ubiquitous double helix. However, it remains to be determined whether tertiary interactions can take place in a DNA complex that contains more than one secondary structure. Using a new data analysis strategy that exploits the hysteresis region between the mechanical unfolding and refolding traces obtained by a laser-tweezers instrument, we now provide the first convincing kinetic and thermodynamic evidence that a higher order interaction takes place between a hairpin and a G-quadruplex in a single-stranded DNA fragment that is found in the promoter region of human telomerase. During the hierarchical unfolding or refolding of the DNA complex, a 15-nucleotide hairpin serves as a common species among three intermediates. Moreover, either a mutant that prevents this hairpin formation or the addition of a DNA fragment complementary to the hairpin destroys the cooperative kinetic events by removing the tertiary interaction mediated by the hairpin. The coexistence of the sequential and the cooperative refolding events provides direct evidence for a unifying kinetic partition mechanism previously observed only in large proteins and complex RNA structures. Not only does this result rationalize the current controversial observations for the long-range interaction in complex single-stranded DNA structures, but also this unexpected complexity in a promoter element provides additional justification for the biological function of these structures in cells.     

Formation of a Ligand‐Assisted Complex of Two RNA Hairpin Loops

The hairpin structure is one of the most common secondary structures in RNA and holds a central position in the stream of RNA folding from a non‐structured RNA to structurally complex and functional ribonucleoproteins. Since the RNA secondary structure is strongly correlated to the function and can be modulated by the binding of small molecules, we have investigated the modulation of RNA folding by a ligand‐assisted formation of loop–loop complexes of two RNA hairpin loops. With a ligand (NCT6), designed based on the ligand binding to the G–G mismatches in double‐stranded DNA, we successfully demonstrated the formation of both inter‐ and intra‐molecular NCT6‐assisted complex of two RNA hairpin loops. NCT6 selectively bound to the two hairpin loops containing (CGG)₃ in the loop region. Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of two doubly‐labeled RNA hairpin loops clearly showed the formation of intermolecular NCT6‐assisted loop–loop complex. Förster resonance energy‐transfer studies of RNA constructs containing two hairpin loops, in which each hairpin was labeled with Alexa488 and Cy3 fluorophores, showed the conformational change of the RNA constructs upon binding of NCT6. These experimental data showed that NCT6 simultaneously bound to two hairpin RNAs at the loop region, and can induce the conformational change of the RNA molecule. These data strongly support that NCT6 functions as molecular glue for two hairpin RNAs.     

An unusual pH-independent and metal-ion-independent mechanism for hairpin ribozyme catalysis

Background: Hairpin ribozymes (RNA enzymes) catalyze the same chemical reaction as ribonuclease A and yet RNAs do not usually have functional groups analogous to the catalytically essential histidine and lysine sidechains of protein ribonucleases. Some RNA enzymes appear to recruit metal ions to act as Lewis acids in charge stabilization and metal-bound hydroxide for general base catalysis, but it has been reported that the hairpin ribozyme functions in the presence of metal ion chelators. This led us to investigate whether the hairpin ribozyme exploits a metal-ion-independent catalytic strategy.Results: Substitution of sulfur for nonbridging oxygens of the reactive phosphate of the hairpin ribozyme has small, stereospecific and metal-ionindependent effects on cleavage and ligation mediated by this ribozyme. Cobalt hexammine, an exchange-inert metal complex, supports full hairpin ribozyme activity, and the ribozyme's catalytic rate constants display only a shallow dependence on pH.Conclusions: Direct metal ion coordination to phosphate oxygens is not essential for hairpin ribozyme catalysis and metal-bound hydroxide does not serve as the general base in this catalysis. Several models might account for the unusual pH and metal ion independence: hairpin cleavage and ligation might be limited by a slow conformational change; a pH-independent or metalcation-independent chemical step, such as breaking the 5′ oxygen-phosphorus bond, might be rate determining; or finally, functional groups within the ribozyme might participate directly in catalytic chemistry. Whichever the case, the hairpin ribozyme appears to employ a unique strategy for RNA catalysis.     

Stable triplet of uracil-uracil basepairs in a small antisense RNA

The interaction between ant (antirepressor) mRNA and its antisense RNA, sar (small antisense RNA), is important in regulation of the development of bacteriophage P22. Sar is 68-69 nucleotides in length and is believed to consist of two hairpin structures separated by a small inter-hairpin region, followed by a short 3' tail [Schaefer and McClure RNA 1997, 3, 141-156]. A novel feature of the proposed secondary structure of the first hairpin is a extremely rare triple U:U base stack. Heteronuclear NMR studies presented here show that the first hairpin does not possess a unique structure in the absence of the second hairpin. However, it acquires a well-defined structure within full length sar. Remarkably, the triple U:U stack appears to be a stable feature of the first hairpin, regardless of the presence or absence of the second hairpin.     

A Self-immolative Molecular Beacon for Amplified Nucleic Acid Detection**

Fluorogenic hybridization probes allow the detection of RNA and DNA sequences in homogeneous solution. Typically, one target molecule activates the fluorescence of a single probe molecule. This limits the sensitivity of nucleic acid detection. Herein, we report a self-immolative molecular beacon (iMB) that escapes the one-target/one-probe paradigm. The iMB probe includes a photoreductively cleavable N-alkyl-picolinium (NAP) linkage within the loop region. A fluorophore at the 5’-end serves, on the one hand, as a reporter group and, on the other hand, as a photosensitizer of a NAP-linker cleavage reaction. In the absence of target, the iMB adopts a hairpin shape. Quencher groups prevent photo-induced cleavage. The iMB opens upon hybridization with a target, and both fluorescent emission as well as photo-reductive cleavage of the NAP linker can occur. In contrast to previous chemical amplification reactions, iMBs are unimolecular probes that undergo cleavage leading to products that have lower target affinity than the probes before reaction. Aided by catalysis, the method allowed the detection of 5 pm RNA target within 100 min.     

Direct photocleavage of HIV-DNA by quinacridine derivatives triggered by triplex formation

Amino-p-quinacridine compounds (PQs) have been shown to stabilize strongly and specifically triple-helical DNA. Moreover, these derivatives display photoactive properties that make them efficient DNA cleavage agents. We exploited these two properties (triplex-specific binding and photoactivity) to selectively cleave a double-stranded (ds)DNA sequence present in the HIV-1 genome. Cleavage was first carried out on a linearized plasmid (3300 bp) containing the HIV polypurine tract (PPT) that allowed targeting by a triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO). PQ(3)(), the most active compound of the series, efficiently cleaved double-stranded DNA in the vicinity of the PPT when this sequence had formed a triplex with a 16-mer TFO. Investigation of the cleavage at the molecular level was addressed on a short DNA fragment (56 bp); the photoinduced cleavage by PQ(3)() occurred only in the presence of the triple helix. Nevertheless, unusual cleavage patterns were observed: damage was observed at guanines located 6-9 bp away from the end of the triple helical site. This cleavage is very efficient (up to 60%), does not require alkaline treatment, and is observed on both strands. A quinacridine-TFO conjugate produced the same cleavage pattern. This observation, along with others, excludes the hypothesis of a triplex-induced allosteric binding site of PQ(3 )()adjacent to the damaged sequence and indicates that PQ(3 )()preferentially binds in the vicinity of the 5'-triplex junction. Irradiation in the presence of TFO-conjugates with acridine (an intercalative agent) and with the tripeptide lys-tryp-lys led to a complete inhibition of the photocleavage reaction. These results are interpreted in terms of competitive binding and of electron-transfer quenching. Together with the findings of simple mechanistic investigations, they led to the conclusion that the photoinduced damage proceeds through a direct electron transfer between the quinacridine and the guanines. This study addresses the chemical mechanism leading to strand breakage and characterizes the particular photosensitivity of the HIV-DNA target sequence which could be an oxidative hot spot for addressed photoinduced strand scission by photosensitizers.     

A novel DNA hairpin substrate for bleomycin

A 16-nucleotide DNA hairpin containing 4-aminobenzo[g]quinazoline-2-one 2'-deoxyribose at position 15 has been prepared and found to lack significant fluorescence. When treated with Fe(II).BLM, the hairpin was found to undergo oxidative transformation selectively at position 15. The predominant fluorescent product was characterized and quantified. The pro-fluorescent DNA hairpin was used as a substrate for 15 bleomycin congeners, and the results were compared with those obtained following cleavage of a radiolabeled DNA duplex and PAGE analysis.     

Molecular-beacon-based tricomponent probe for SNP analysis in folded nucleic acids

Hybridization probes are often inefficient in the analysis of single‐stranded DNA or RNA that are folded in stable secondary structures. A molecular beacon (MB) probe is a short DNA hairpin with a fluorophore and a quencher attached to opposite sides of the oligonucleotide. The probe is widely used in real‐time analysis of specific DNA and RNA sequences. This study demonstrates how a conventional MB probe can be used for the analysis of nucleic acids that form very stable (T_m>80 °C) hairpin structures. Here we demonstrate that the MB probe is not efficient in direct analysis of secondary structure‐folded analytes, whereas a MB‐based tricomponent probe is suitable for these purposes. The tricomponent probe takes advantage of two oligonucleotide adaptor strands f and m. Each adaptor strand contains a fragment complementary to the analyte and a fragment complementary to a MB probe. In the presence of a specific analyte, the two adaptor strands hybridize to the analyte and the MB probe, thus forming a quadripartite complex. DNA strand f binds to the analyte with high affinity and unwinds its secondary structure. Strand m forms a stable complex only with the fully complementary analyte. The MB probe fluorescently reports the formation of the quadripartite associate. It was demonstrated that the DNA analytes folded in hairpin structures with stems containing 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, or 13 base pairs can be detected in real time with the limit of detection (LOD) lying in the nanomolar range. The stability of the stem region in the DNA analyte did not affect the LOD. Analytes containing single base substitutions in the stem or in the loop positions were discriminated from the fully complementary DNA at room temperature. The tricomponent probe promises to simplify nucleic acid analysis at ambient temperatures in such applications as in vivo RNA monitoring, detection of pathogens, and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping by DNA microarrays.     

Specific adenine alkylation by pyrrole-imidazole CBI conjugates

We examined DNA alkylation by pyrrole (Py)-imidazole (Im) hairpin polyamides, which possess 1,2,9,9a-tetrahydrocyclopropa[1,2-c]benz[1,2-e]indol-4-one (CBI) or cyclopropapyrroloindole (CPI) as DNA alkylating moieties. High-resolution denaturing gel electrophoresis revealed that alkylation by CBI conjugates 2 and 4 occurred specifically at adenines (A) in matched sequences, whereas CPI conjugates 1 and 3 alkylated both A and guanines (G) in matched sequences. The origin of the different reactivity of CBI and CPI conjugates is discussed in relation to the electrophilicity of the cyclopropane moiety. The high selectivity of the CBI conjugate gives additional sequence specificity relative to CPI conjugates that would be useful for the biological applications.     

The importance of being r: greater oxidative stability of RNA compared with DNA

The 2'-hydroxyl group of ribose imparts hydrolytic lability on RNA, which provides a mechanism for numerous biological functions. Recent evidence from chemical cleavage studies shows that this hydroxyl group also stabilizes the sugar moiety in RNA towards oxidation relative to DNA. Is this just because RNA needs to be distinguishable from DNA or does it have other evolutionary significance?     

Investigation of the pathways of excess electron transfer in DNA with flavin-donor and oxetane-acceptor modified DNA hairpins

Oxetane is a potential intermediate that is enzymatically formed during the repair of (6-4) DNA lesions by special repair enzymes (6-4 DNA photolyases). These enzymes use a reduced and deprotonated flavin to cleave the oxetane by single electron donation. Herein we report synthesis of DNA hairpin model compounds containing a flavin as the hairpin head and two different oxetanes in the stem structure of the hairpin. The data show that the electron moves through the duplex even over distances of 17 A. Attempts to trap the moving electron with N2O showed no reduction of the cleavage efficiency showing that the electron moves through the duplex and not through solution. The electron transfer is sequence dependent. The efficiency is reduced by a factor of 2 in GC rich DNA hairpins.     

Methods for investigating G-quadruplex DNA/ligand interactions

DNA is considered an important target for drug design and development. Until recently, the focus was on double-stranded (duplex) DNA structures. However, it has now been shown that single stranded DNA can fold into hairpin, triplex, i-motif and G-quadruplex structures. The more interesting G-quadruplex DNA structures comprise four strands of stacked guanine (G)-tetrads formed by the coplanar arrangement of four guanines, held together by Hoogsteen bonds. The DNA sequences with potential to form G-quadruplex structures are found at the chromosomal extremities (i.e. the telomeres) and also at the intra-chromosomal region (i.e. oncogenic promoters) in several important oncogenes. The formation of G-quadruplex structures is considered to have important consequences at the cellular level and such structures have been evoked in the control of expression of certain genes involved in carcinogenesis (c-myc, c-kit, K-ras etc.) as well as in the perturbation of telomeric organization. It has been shown that the formation of quadruplexes inhibits the telomere extension by the telomerase enzyme, which is up-regulated in cancer cells. Therefore, G-quadruplex structures are an important target for drug design and development and there is a huge interest in design and development of small molecules (ligands) to target these structures. A large number of so-called G-quadruplex ligands, displaying varying degrees of affinity and more importantly selectivity (i.e. the ability to interact only with quadruplex-DNA and not duplex-DNA), have been reported. Access to efficient and robust in vitro assays is needed to effectively monitor and quantify the G-quadruplex DNA/ligand interactions. This tutorial review provides an overview of G-quadruplex ligands and biophysical techniques available to monitor such interactions.     

Differentiate RNA Single‐Stranded Region of the Branched Structures and Hairpin Loops by an Octahedral Cobalt(II) Complex

Single‐stranded RNA molecules usually include secondary structural elements such as bulges, internal loops, and hairpin loops. These RNA secondary structural elements are often essential for the biological activity and functions of the RNA molecule. Chemical probe Co^II(HAPP)(TFA)₂ in the presence of H₂O₂ is found to differentiate single‐stranded RNA from branched structures and hairpin loops. This study uses Co^II(HAPP)(TFA)2 to analyze the structures of two RNA molecules: a fragment of HIV TAR RNA (TAR‐27) and the catalytic domain 5 of group II intron (D5‐29). The electrophoretic mobility of TAR‐27 does not shift in the presence of Co^II(HAPP)(TFA)₂, suggesting that the reagent does not change the conformation of RNA substrate. Cleavage of the RNA substrates by Co^II(HAPP)(TFA)₂ unambiguously differentiated RNA internal looped structures from hairpin loops. The results show that Co^II(HAPP)(TFA)2 is a sensitive, informative and convenient tool for analysis of RNA secondary structures.     

Structural studies of an oligodeoxynucleotide containing a trimethylene interstrand cross-link in a 5'-(CpG) motif: model of a malondialdehyde cross-link.

Malondialdehyde (MDA), a known mutagen and suspected carcinogen, is a product of lipid peroxidation and byproduct of eicosanoid biosynthesis. MDA can react with DNA to generate potentially mutagenic adducts on adenine, cytosine, and particularly guanine. In addition, repair-dependent frame shift mutations in a GCGCGC region of Salmonella typhimurium hisD3052 have been attributed to formation of interstrand cross-links (Mukai, F. H. and Goldstein, B. D. Science 1976, 191, 868--869). The cross-linked species is unstable and has never been characterized but has been postulated to be a bis-imino linkage between N(2) positions of guanines. An analogous linkage has now been investigated as a stable surrogate using the self-complementary oligodeoxynucleotide sequence 5'-d(AGGCG*CCT)(2,) in which G* represents guanines linked via a trimethylene chain between N(2) positions. The solution structure, obtained by NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics using a simulated annealing protocol, revealed the cross-link only minimally distorts duplex structure in the region of the cross-link. The tether is accommodated by partially unwinding the duplex at the lesion site to produce a bulge and tipping the guanine residues; the two guanines and the tether attain a nearly planar conformation. This distortion did not result in significant bending of the DNA, a result which was confirmed by gel electrophoresis studies of multimers of a 21-mer duplex containing the cross-link.     

Chemical synthesis of an artificially branched hairpin ribozyme variant with RNA cleavage activity

Due to the development in the field of RNA synthesis over the past decade of years, preparation of RNA oligonucleotides longer than 50 nucleotides is possible today. In this report, we describe the chemical preparation of a branched RNA molecule with RNA cleavage activity consisting of 81 nucleotides. It is derived from the hairpin ribozyme, a small catalytic RNA occurring in nature. The hairpin ribozyme consists of two separately folded domains (loop A and loop B domain), which can be joined in a number of different ways without loss of activity. In the construct presented here, 2′-deoxy-N4-(6-hydroxyhexyl)-5-methylcytidine was introduced to connect the loop B domain with the loop A domain via an artificial branch. The synthesized branched RNA is able to catalyze the cleavage of a number of suitable substrates. Compared with the corresponding non-branched reverse-joined ribozyme it cleaves its substrates only 5-fold slower. Surprisingly, no ligation activity could be detected.