A platinum supramolecular square as an effective G-quadruplex binder and telomerase inhibitor

In this contribution, we report that a self-assembled platinum molecular square [Pt(en)(4,4'-dipyridyl)]4 can act as an efficient G-quadruplex binder and telomerase inhibitor. Molecular modeling studies show that the square arrangement of the four bipyridyl ligands, the highly electropositive nature of the overall complex, as well as hydrogen bonding interactions between the ethylenediamine ligands and phosphates of the DNA backbone all contribute to the observed strong binding affinity to the G-quadruplex. Through thermal denaturation studies with duplex and quadruplex FRET probes and enzymatic assays, we demonstrate that this platinum square strongly binds to G-quadruplexes and can act as an inhibitor of telomerase. This study thus shows the potential of supramolecular self-assembly to readily generate scaffolds of unique geometries for effective targeting of G-quadruplexes and for the ultimate development of selective antitumor therapies.     

Platinum phenanthroimidazole complexes as G-quadruplex DNA selective binders

Complexes that bind and stabilize G-quadruplex DNA structures are of significant interest due to their potential to inhibit telomerase and halt tumor cell proliferation. We here report the synthesis of the first Pt(II) G-quadruplex selective molecules, containing pi-extended phenanthroimidazole ligands. Binding studies of these complexes with duplex and quadruplex d(T(4)G(4)T(4))(4) DNA were performed. Intercalation to duplex DNA was established through UV/Vis titration, CD spectroscopy, and thermal denaturation studies. Significantly stronger binding affinity of these phenanthroimidazole Pt(II) complexes to G-quadruplex DNA was observed by UV/Vis spectroscopy and competitive equilibrium dialysis studies. Observed binding constants to quadruplex DNA were nearly two orders of magnitude greater than for duplex DNA. Circular dichroism studies show that an increase in pi-surface leads to a significant increase in the thermal stability of the Pt(II)/quadruplex DNA complex. The match in the pi-surface of these phenanthroimidazole Pt(II) complexes with quadruplex DNA was further substantiated by molecular modeling studies. Numerous favorable pi-stacking interactions with the large aromatic surface of the intermolecular G-quadruplex, and unforeseen hydrogen bonds between the ancillary ethylenediamine ligands and the quadruplex phosphate backbone are predicted. Thus, both biological and computational studies suggest that coupling the square-planar geometry of Pt(II) with pi-extended ligands results in a simple and modular method to create effective G-quadruplex selective binders, which can be readily optimized for use in telomerase-based antitumor therapy.     

Minimalist Design of Wireframe DNA Nanotubes: Tunable Geometry,Size, Chirality,and Dynamics

DNA nanotubes (NTs) have attracted extensive interest as artificial cytoskeletons for biomedical, synthetic biology, and materials applications. Here, we report the modular design and assembly of a minimalist yet robust DNA wireframe nanotube with tunable cross-sectional geometry, cavity size, chirality, and length, while using only four DNA strands. We introduce an h-motif structure incorporating double-crossover (DX) tile-like DNA edges to achieve structural rigidity and provide efficient self-assembly of h-motif-based DNA nanotube ( H-NT ) units, thus producing programmable, micrometer-long nanotubes. We demonstrate control of the H-NT nanotube length via short DNA modulators. Finally, we use an enzyme, RNase H, to take these structures out of equilibrium and trigger nanotube assembly at a physiologically relevant temperature, underlining future cellular applications. The minimalist H-NTs can assemble at near-physiological salt conditions and will serve as an easily synthesized, DNA-economical modular template for biosensors, plasmonics, or other functional materials and as cost-efficient drug-delivery vehicles for biomedical applications.     

Transition-Metal-Functionalized DNA Double-Crossover Tiles: Enhanced Stability and Chirality Transfer to Metal Centers

The double crossover junction (DX) is a fundamental building block for generating complex and varied structures from DNA. However, its implementation in functional devices is limited to the inherent properties of DNA itself. Here, we developed design strategies to generate the first metal–DX DNA tiles (DX_M) by site-specifically functionalizing the tile crossovers with tetrahedral binding pockets that coordinate Cu^I. These DX junctions bind two Cu^I ions independently at distinct sites, display greater thermal stability than native DX tiles upon metalation, and melt in a cooperative fashion. In addition, the right-handed helical chirality of DNA is transferred to the metal centers. Our tiles display high metal ion selectivity, such that Cu^II is spontaneously reduced to Cu^I in situ. By modifying our design over three generations of tiles, we elucidated the thermodynamic and geometric requirements for the successful assembly of DX_M tiles, which have direct applicability in developing robust, stable DNA-based materials with electroactive, photoactive, and catalytic properties.     

Microstructure and First Hydrogenation Properties of TiHfZrNb1−xV1+x Alloy for x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 1

The effect of the substitution of Nb by V on the microstructure and hydrogen storage properties of TiHfZrNb_1−xV_1+x alloys (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 1) was investigated. For x = 0, the alloy was pure BCC and upon the substitution of niobium by vanadium, the BCC was progressively replaced by HCP and FCC phases. For x = 0.6, a C15 phase was also present and becomes the main phase for x = 1. The substitution greatly enhanced the first hydrogenation and makes it possible at room temperature under 20 bars of hydrogen. The capacity of all substituted alloys was around 2 wt.%.