A Chimeric DNA/RNA Antiparallel Quadruplex with Improved Stability

Nucleic acid quadruplexes are proposed to play a role in the regulation of gene expression, are often present in aptamers selected for specific binding functions and have potential applications in medicine and biotechnology. Therefore, understanding their structure and thermodynamic properties and designing highly stable quadruplexes is desirable for a variety of applications. Here, we evaluate DNA→RNA substitutions in the context of a monomolecular, antiparallel quadruplex, the thrombin-binding aptamer (TBA, GGTTGGTGTGGTTGG) in the presence of either K⁺ or Sr²⁺. TBA predominantly folds into a chair-type configuration containing two G-tetrads, with G residues in both syn and anti conformation. All chimeras with DNA→RNA substitutions (G→g) at G residues requiring the syn conformation demonstrated strong destabilization. In contrast, G→g substitutions at Gs with anti conformation increased stability without affecting the monomolecular chair-type topology. None of the DNA→RNA substitutions in loop positions affected the quadruplex topology; however, these substitutions varied widely in their stabilizing or destabilizing effects in an unpredictable manner. This analysis allowed us to design a chimeric DNA/RNA TBA construct that demonstrated substantially improved stability relative to the all-DNA construct. These results have implications for a variety of quadruplex-based applications including for the design of dynamic nanomachines.     

Synthesis and Conformational Analysis of 2′-Deoxy-2′-(3-methoxybenzamido)adenosine,a rational-designed inhibitor of trypanosomal glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH)

A series of 2′-benzamido-2′-deoxyadenosine analogues were synthesized in an effort to find new lead structures for the treatment of sleeping sickness. The 2′-deoxy-2′-(3-methoxybenzamido)adenosine ( 1h ) was proved to be a selective inhibitor of the parasite glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase which confirms the modeling studies. The solution-state conformation of 2′-(thiophene-2-carboxamido) analogue 1d demonstrates a 2′-endo conformation, an orientation of the thiophene ring under the ribose moiety, and the base part occupying a ‘syn’/‘anti’ equilibrium.     

Regioisomeric 4‐nitroindazole N1‐ and N2‐(β‐d‐ribonucleosides)

The structures of the isomeric nucleosides 4‐nitro‐1‐(β‐d ‐ribo­furan­osyl)‐1H‐indazole, C₁₂H₁₃N₃O₆, (I), and 4‐nitro‐2‐(β‐d ‐ribo­furan­osyl)‐2H‐indazole, C₁₂H₁₃N₃O₆, (II), have been determined. For compound (I), the conformation of the gly­cosylic bond is anti [χ = −93.6 (6)°] and the sugar puckering is C2′‐exo–C3′‐endo. Compound (II) shows two conformations in the crystalline state which differ mainly in the sugar pucker; type 1 adopts the C2′‐endo–C3′‐exo sugar puckering associated with a syn base orientation [χ = 43.7 (6)°] and type 2 shows C2′‐exo–C3′‐endo sugar puckering accompanied by a somewhat different syn base orientation [χ = 13.8 (6)°].     

Ab initio study of a purine nucleoside: Adenosine

The ab initio SCF LCAO-MO method is used to compute the main electronic properties of a purine nucleoside, adenosine, in two specific conformational arrangements (3′-endo conformation of the ribose, gt orientation of the extracyclic CH₂OH group, anti orientation of the base with respect to the sugar and 3′-endo conformation of the ribose, gg orientation of the extra-cyclic CH₂OH group, syn orientation of the base with respect to the sugar). The results are compared with those performed for the isolated component fragments, adenine and 3′-endo riboses.     

2′‐Deoxy‐5‐propynyluridine: a nucleoside with two conformations in the asymmetric unit

The title compound, 1‐(2‐deoxy‐β‐d ‐erythro‐pentofuranosyl)‐5‐(prop‐1‐ynyl)pyrimidin‐2,4(1H,3H)‐dione, C₁₂H₁₄N₂O₅, shows two conformations in the crystalline state: conformer 1 adopts a C2′‐endo (close to ²E; S‐type) sugar pucker and an anti nucleobase orientation [χ = −134.04 (19)°], while conformer 2 shows an S sugar pucker (twisted C2′‐endo–C3′‐exo), which is accompanied by a different anti base orientation [χ = −162.79 (17)°]. Both molecules show a +sc (gauche, gauche) conformation at the exocyclic C4′—C5′ bond and a coplanar orientation of the propynyl group with respect to the pyrimidine ring. The extended structure is a three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bond network involving intermolecular N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen bonds. Only O atoms function as H‐atom acceptor sites.     

Duplex‐Guided Refolding into Novel G‐Quadruplex (3+1) Hybrid Conformations

The oligomer d(GCGTG₃TCAG₃TG₃TG₃ACGC) with short complementary flanking sequences at the 5′‐ and 3′‐ends was shown to fold into three different DNA G‐quadruplex species. In contrast, a corresponding oligomer that lacks base complementarity between the two overhang sequences folds into a single parallel G‐quadruplex. The three coexisting quadruplex structures were unambiguously identified and structurally characterized through detailed spectral comparisons with well‐defined G‐quadruplexes formed upon the deliberate incorporation of syn‐favoring 8‐bromoguanosine analogues into specific positions of the G‐core. Two (3+1) hybrid structures coexist with the parallel fold and feature a novel lateral–propeller–propeller loop architecture that has not yet been confirmed experimentally. Both hybrid quadruplexes adopt the same topology and only differ in their pattern of anti→syn transitions and tetrad stackings.     

Oligonucleosides with a Nucleobase‐Including Backbone,Part 7

The conformational analysis of 7 was carried out in (D₆)DMSO and in mixtures of (D₆)DMSO and CDCl₃ to evaluate the syn/anti conformations, relevant to the pairing propensity of this type of nucleotide analogue. The HO−C(5′) of unit I and of unit II of the dimer 7 form an intramolecular H‐bond to N(3). In (D₆)DMSO, the C(5′)−OH⋅⋅⋅N(3) H‐bond in unit I is partially broken, while that in unit II persists to a larger extent. The syn conformation prevails for unit I and particularly for unit II. The furanosyl moieties adopt predominantly a 2′‐endo conformation that is largely independent of the solvent.     

7‐Amino‐1‐(2‐deoxy‐β‐erythro‐pentofuranosyl)‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazolo[4,5‐d]pyrimidine: an 8‐azaadenine nucleoside with the nucleobase in a syn conformation

The title compound, C₉H₁₂N₆O₃, shows a syn‐glycosylic bond orientation [χ = 64.17 (16)°]. The 2′‐deoxyfuranosyl moiety exhibits an unusual C1′‐exo–O4′‐endo (₁T⁰; S‐type) sugar pucker, with P = 111.5 (1)° and τ_m = 40.3 (1)°. The conformation at the exocyclic C4′—C5′ bond is +sc (gauche), with γ = 64.4 (1)°. The two‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded network is built from intermolecular N—H...O and O—H...N hydrogen bonds. An intramolecular bifurcated hydrogen bond, with an amino N—H group as hydrogen‐bond donor and the ring and hydroxymethyl O atoms of the sugar moiety as acceptors, constrains the overall conformation of the nucleoside.     

8‐Aza‐7‐deaza‐2′‐de­oxy‐2‐(methyl­sulfan­yl)adenosine

In the title compound, 4‐amino‐1‐(2‐de­oxy‐β‐d ‐erythro‐pentofuranos­yl)‐6‐methyl­sulfanyl‐1H‐pyrazolo[3,4‐d]pyrimidine, C₁₁H₁₆N₅O₃S, the conformation of the glycosidic bond is between anti and high anti. The 2′‐deoxy­ribofuranosyl moiety adopts the C3′‐exo–C4′‐endo conformation (₃T⁴, S‐type sugar pucker), and the conformation at the exocyclic C—C bond is +sc (+gauche). The exocyclic 6‐amine group and the 2‐methyl­sulfanyl group lie on different sides of the heterocyclic ring system. The mol­ecules form a three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded network that is stabilized by O—H⋯N, N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.     

Ethyl 3‐(2′‐deoxyuridin‐5‐yl)‐3‐hydroxy‐2‐iodopropanoate,a ­nucleoside analogue

In the title compound, C₁₄H₁₉IN₂O₈, an almost planar heterocyclic base is oriented anti with respect to the puckered sugar moiety. The sugar pucker is C2′‐endo/C3′‐exo, the N‐glycosidic torsion angle is 166.4 (4)° and the conformation of O5′ is +sc. The mol­ecules are linked by hydrogen bonds of the types N—H?O and O—H?O.     

2′‐De­oxy‐5‐propynyl­cytidine: a nucleoside forming two solid‐state conformations

The title compound, 4‐amino‐1‐(2‐deoxy‐β‐d ‐erythropentofuranosyl)‐5‐(prop‐1‐ynyl)pyrimidin‐2(1H)‐one, C₁₂H₁₅N₃O₄, shows two conformations in the crystalline state which differ mainly in the glycosylic bond torsion angle and the sugar pucker. Both mol­ecules exhibit an anti glycosylic bond conformation, with torsion angles χ = −135.0 (2) and −156.4 (2)° for mol­ecules 1 and 2, respectively. The sugar moieties show a twisted C2′‐endo sugar pucker (S‐type), with P = 173.3 and 192.5° for mol­ecules 1 and 2, respectively. The crystal structure is characterized by a three‐dimensional network that is stabilized by several inter­molecular hydrogen bonds between the two conformers.     

Designing Fluorinated Cinchona Alkaloids for Enantioselective Catalysis: Controlling Internal Rotation by a Fluorine‐Ammonium Ion gauche Effect (φNCCF)

The C9 position of cinchona alkaloids functions as a molecular hinge, with internal rotations around the C8? C9 (τ₁) and C9? C4′ (τ₂) bonds giving rise to four low energy conformers ( 1 ; anti‐closed, anti‐open, syn‐closed, and syn‐open). By substituting the C9 carbinol centre by a configurationally defined fluorine substituent, a fluorine‐ammonium ion gauche effect (σ_C?H→σ_C?F*; F^δ????N⁺) encodes for two out of the four possible conformers ( 2 ). This constitutes a partial solution to the long‐standing problem of governing internal rotations in cinchonium‐based catalysts relying solely on a fluorine conformational effect.     

4‐Amino‐7‐(2‐de­oxy‐2‐fluoro‐β‐d‐arabinofuranos­yl)‐5‐fluoro‐7H‐pyrrolo[2,3‐d]pyrimidine: a bis‐fluorinated analogue of 2′‐deoxy­tubercidin

The title compound, C₁₁H₁₂F₂N₄O₃, exhibits an anti glycosylic bond conformation, with a torsion angle χ = −117.8 (2)°. The sugar pucker is N‐type (C4′‐exo, between ³T₄ and E₄, with P = 45.3° and τ_m = 41.3°). The conformation around the exocyclic C—C bond is −ap (trans), with a torsion angle γ = −177.46 (15)°. The nucleobases are stacked head‐to‐head. The crystal structure is characterized by a three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bond network involving N—H⋯O, O—H⋯O and O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds.     

Equilibres conformationnels de glucides au niveau de liaisons σ sp2-sp3 C-C. III Dérivés d'oximes d'aldéhydo-sucres utilisation de tris-dipivaloylméthanato-europium

A series of sugar oximes and O-methyloximes of the general formula RCH?NOR′ (R′ ? H, CH₃) have been studied by PMR. spectroscopy. These compounds exist in solution as a mixture of the syn and anti isomers. The conformational equilibrium of the syn isomers seems to consist exclusively of the eclipsed rotamers, whereas for the anti isomers there appears to be a significant contribution from bisecting rotamers. Using tris-dipivaloylmethanato-europium it is found that the α proton of the anti oximes is much more deshielded than the corresponding proton of the syn isomers, which means that the downfield shift of a particular proton does not depend exclusively on its distance from the oxygen of the oxyimino group.     

5‐Ethynyl‐2′‐deoxycytidine: a DNA building block with a `clickable' side chain

The title compound [systematic name: 4‐amino‐1‐(2‐deoxy‐β‐d ‐erythro‐pentofuranosyl)‐5‐ethynylpyrimidin‐2(1H)‐one], C₁₁H₁₃N₃O₄, shows two conformations in the crystalline state. The N‐glycosylic bonds of both conformers adopt similar conformations, with χ = −149.2 (1)° for conformer (I‐1) and −151.4 (1)° for conformer (I‐2), both in the anti range. The sugar residue of (I‐1) shows a C2′‐endo envelope conformation (²E, S‐type), with P = 164.7 (1)° and τ_m = 36.9 (1)°, while (I‐2) shows a major C3′‐exo sugar pucker (C3′‐exo‐C2′‐endo, ₃T², S‐type), with P = 189.2 (1)° and τ_m = 33.3 (1)°. Both conformers participate in the formation of a layered three‐dimensional crystal structure with a chain‐like arrangement of the conformers. The ethynyl groups do not participate in hydrogen bonding, but are arranged in proximal positions.     

1‐(2‐Deoxy‐β‐d‐erythro‐pento­furan­osyl)‐4‐nitro‐1H‐indazole

In the title compound, C₁₂H₁₃N₃O₅, the conformation of the gly­cosyl­ic bond is anti [torsion angle = −105.3 (2)°]. The 2′‐deoxy­ribo­furan­ose moiety adopts an S‐type sugar pucker and the orientation of the exocyclic C—C bond is −sc (trans).     

Trisphosphine‐Chelate‐Substituted Molybdenum and Tungsten Nitrosyl Hydrides as Highly Active Catalysts for Olefin Hydrogenations

Reaction of [M(NO)Cl₃(NCMe)₂] (M=Mo, W) with (iPr₂PCH₂CH₂)₂PPh (etpⁱp) at room temperature afforded the syn/anti‐[M(NO)Cl₃(mer‐etpⁱp)] complexes (M=Mo, a ; W, b ; 3 a,b (syn,anti); syn and anti refer to the relative position of Ph(etpⁱp) and NO). Reduction of 3 a,b (syn,anti) produced [M(NO)Cl₂(mer‐etpⁱp)] ( 4 a,b (syn)), [M(NO)Cl(NCMe)(mer‐etpⁱp)] ( 5 a,b (syn,anti)), and [M(NO)Cl(η²‐ethylene)(mer‐etpⁱp)] ( 6 a,b (syn,anti)) complexes. The hydrides [M(NO)H(η²‐ethylene)(mer‐etpⁱp)] ( 7 a,b (syn,anti)) were obtained from 6 a,b (syn,anti) using NaHBEt₃ (75 °C, THF) or LiBH₄ (80 °C, Et₃N), respectively. 7 a,b (syn,anti) were probed in olefin hydrogenations in the absence or presence of a hydrosilane/B(C₆F₅)₃ mixture. The 7 a,b (syn,anti)/Et₃SiH/B(C₆F₅)₃ co‐catalytic systems were highly active in various olefin hydrogenations (60 bar H₂, 140 °C), with maximum TOFs of 5250 h^?1 ( 7 a (syn,anti)) and 8200 h^?1 ( 7 b (syn,anti)) for 1‐hexene hydrogenation. The Et₃SiH/(B(C₆F₅)₃ co‐catalyst is anticipated to generate a [Et₃Si]⁺ cation attaching to the O_NO atom. This facilitates NO bending and accelerates catalysis by providing a vacant site. Inverse DKIE effects were observed for the 7 a (syn,anti)/Et₃SiH/(B(C₆F₅)₃ (k_H/k_D=0.55) and the 7 b (syn,anti)/Et₃SiH/(B(C₆F₅)₃ (k_H/k_D=0.65) co‐catalytic mixtures (20 bar H₂/D₂, 140 °C).     

Factors that regulate the conformation of m-benziporphodimethene complexes: agostic metal-arene interaction, hydrogen bonding, and η2,π coordination

Group 12 and silver(I) tetramethyl‐m‐benziporphodimethene (TMBPDM) complexes with phenyl, methylbenzoate, or nitrophenyl groups as meso substituents were synthesized and fully characterized. The dimeric silver(I) complex displays an unusual η²,π coordination from the β‐pyrrolic C?C bond to the silver ion. All of the complexes displayed a close contact between the metal ion and the inner C(22)? H(22) on the m‐phenylene ring. The downfield chemical shifts of H(22) and large coupling constants between Cd^II and H(22) strongly support the presence of an agostic interaction between the metal ion and inner C(22)–H(22). Crystal structures revealed that the syn form is the predominant conformation for TMBPDM complexes. This is distinctively different from the exclusive anti conformation observed in m‐benziporphyrin and tetraphenyl‐m‐benziporphodimethene (TPBPDM) complexes. Evidently, intramolecular hydrogen‐bonding interactions between axial chloride and methyl groups stabilize syn conformations. Unlike the merely syn conformation observed in the solid‐state structures of TMBPDM complexes that contain an axial chloride, in solution these complexes display highly solvent‐ and temperature‐dependent syn/anti ratio changes. The observation of dynamic ¹H NMR spectroscopic scrambling between syn and anti conformations from the titration of chloride ion into the solution of the TMBPDM complex suggests that axial ligand exchange is a likely pathway for the conversion between syn and anti forms. Theoretical calculations revealed that intermolecular hydrogen‐bonding interactions between the axial chloride and CHCl₃ stabilizes the anti conformation, which explains the increased ratio for the anti form when dichloromethane or chloroform was used as the solvent.     

2′‐Deoxy‐5‐methylisocytidine

In the title compound, 2‐amino‐1‐(2‐deoxy‐β‐d ‐erythro‐pento­furan­osyl)‐5‐methyl­pyrimidin‐4(1H)‐one, C₁₀H₁₅N₃O₄, the conformation of the N‐glycosidic bond is syn and the 2‐deoxy­ribo­furan­ose moiety adopts an unusual ^OT₁ sugar pucker. The orientation of the exocyclic C4′—C5′ bond is +sc (+gauche).     

Structural,torsional, vibrational and response electric properties of 2,2′-bitellurophene rotamers. An ab initio and density functional theory investigation

The molecular structure, conformational behaviour, vibrational spectra and electronic (hyper)polarizabilities of tellurophene and 2,2′-bitellurophene rotamers were determined in gas by correlated ab initio and density functional theory calculations. The torsional potential for the rotation around the C²–C^2′ inter-ring bond shows two minima corresponding to anti-gauche and syn-gauche structures and three maxima to planar anti and syn forms and to perpendicular conformation. The potential energy curve is rather flat over the entire 0°–180° twisting range and free rotation cannot be excluded. The IR and Raman spectra of the gauche structures are rather similar to each other, vibrational transitions being scarcely helpful for an unambiguous identification of the rotamers. The dipole moment and the first-order hyperpolarizability increase on passing from the anti-gauche to the syn-gauche conformation by a factor of five and four, respectively. The second harmonic generation nonlinear optical process can be useful to identify the 2,2′-bitellurophene rotamers. On the other hand, the electronic polarizabilities of these structures are much more closer to each other, being predicted to be within 2–13 %.