Regioselective 2'-silylation of purine ribonucleosides for phosphoramidite RNA synthesis.

This unit describes high-yield procedures for protection of purine ribonucleosides based on a reaction that allows concomitant highly regioselective 2'-silylation and 3'-phosphitylation to give, in one step, monomers that are ready for H-phosphonate synthesis. For preparation of phosphoramidites, the H-phosphonate monoester is cleaved without silyl migration to give intermediates ready for phosphitylation by standard methods.

RNA synthesis using a universal, base-stable allyl linker.

The application of a universal allyl linker, 9-O-(4,4'-dimethoxytrityl)-10-undecenoic acid, to the solid phase synthesis of RNA molecules is described. Use of this linker simplifies significantly the isolation and purification steps in RNA synthesis. The linker is universal in that it does not contain a nucleoside. The 3'terminal nucleoside is instead attached to the support in the first coupling step. The resultant RNA fragment is then obtained as the 3'-phosphate. The linker is base-stable, and thus all reagents used during deprotection can simply be washed away, leaving the RNA attached. Further, tritylated short fragments resulting from chain cleavage for any reason are also washed away before separation from the support. This linker is compatible with any current synthetic methodology and any amino functionalized support. Of course, silica supports would not be compatible with fluoride reagents. It could also be used to advantage for other applications. Because it is cleaved under conditions orthogonal to those used during many common reactions, the range of post-synthetic manipulations that can be carried out without cleavage from the support is extended significantly.

Thermodynamics and structure of a DNA tetraplex: a spectroscopic and calorimetric study of the tetramolecular complexes of d(TG3T) and d(TG3T2G3T).

We report a combined thermodynamic and structural characterization of a DNA tetraplex. Using spectroscopic and calorimetric techniques, we demonstrate that d(TG3T) and d(TG3T2G3T), in the presence of K+, form stable tetramolecular complexes. From differential scanning calorimetry measurements, we obtain the following thermodynamic profiles for formation of each tetraplex at 25 degrees C: delta G degrees = -6.9 kcal/mol of tetraplex (or -2.3 kcal/mol of tetrad; 1 cal = 4.184 J), delta H degrees = -62.6 kcal/mol of tetraplex (or -20.9 kcal/mol of tetrad), and delta S degrees = -186.9 cal.K-1.mol-1 of tetraplex (or -62.3 cal.K-1.mol-1 of tetrad) for the d(TG3T) tetraplex; and delta G degrees = -20.2 kcal/mol of tetraplex (or -3.4 kcal/mol of tetrad), delta H degrees = -123.2 kcal/mol of tetraplex (or -20.5 kcal/mol of tetrad), and delta S degrees = -346.0 cal.K-1.mol-1 of tetraplex (or -57.7 cal.K-1.mol-1 of tetrad) for the d(TG3T2G3T) tetraplex. These data demonstrate that at 25 degrees C a G-tetrad can exhibit considerable stability, comparable to or even exceeding that of most Watson-Crick nearest-neighbor interactions, with this stability resulting from a very favorable enthalpy of formation. Temperature-dependent CD measurements reveal that the melting temperatures of both tetraplexes exhibit unusually low salt dependences. This unexpected behavior may reflect a diminished charge density due to bound K+ ions. For each complex, the Na+ and K+ forms exhibit drastically different isothermal and temperature-dependent CD profiles, with the K+ forms of each tetraplex melting more sharply and at a higher temperature than the Na+ forms. Using one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques, we show that the strands in the tetramolecular complex of d(TG3T), K+ are all parallel and that the guanine glycosidic conformations are all anti.

Tetraplex formation of a guanine-containing nonameric DNA fragment.

A combination of spectroscopic and calorimetric techniques has been used to characterize the structures formed by a family of short, guanine-containing DNA single strands of the form d[GGTTXTTGG], X = A, C, G, T. In 1 molar NaCl at low temperatures, these molecules do not behave like single strands, but rather exhibit properties consistent with tetraplex formation. The standard state enthalpies, entropies, and free energies for formation of each tetraplex have been measured, as have preliminary nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. In 1 molar KCl, the melting behavior of the structure or structures is more complex than in 1 molar NaCl. This observation may be related to the recently proposed "sodium-potassium switch."

Thermodynamic comparison of the base pairs formed by the carcinogenic lesion O6-methylguanine with reference both to Watson-Crick pairs and to mismatched pairs.

A set of 10 non-self-complementary nonadeoxyribonucleoside octaphosphates, d(GGTTXTTGG) and d(CCAAYAACC), where X and Y are A, C, G, T, or O6MeG, has been synthesized by a large-scale, automated, phosphoramidite procedure. Purification was effected by reversed-phase HPLC, and the base composition was verified by analytical HPLC after enzymatic degradation to the constituent deoxynucleosides. This set of molecules was designed to allow evaluation of the nearest-neighbor dependence of each base pair. The thermal stability, expressed as Tmax, of each duplex containing one of the O6MeG base pairs, a Watson-Crick pair, or one of the mismatches possible with this set of molecules was determined over a concentration range of 5.7-200 microM. From these data the delta H degree, delta S degree, and delta G degree of each combination were calculated. In general, the relative thermal stabilities observed for the O6-methylguanine combinations confirm our previous findings that the most stable base pair is formed with cytosine rather than thymine and that all O6MeG pairs are much weaker than Watson-Crick base pairs [Kuzmich, S., Marky, L. A., & Jones, R. A. (1983) Nucleic Acids Res. 11, 3393-3404; Gaffney, B. L., Marky, L. A., & Jones, R. A. (1984) Biochemistry 23, 5686-5691]. Moreover, the nine combinations containing O6-methylguanine are all of similar thermal stability, cover a much smaller range in Tmax than do the mismatches, and show little sequence dependence.

Covalent carcinogenic O6-methylguanosine lesions in DNA. Structural studies of the O6 meG X A and O6meG X G interactions in dodecanucleotide duplexes.

High-resolution proton and phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance studies are reported on the self-complementary d(C1-G2-N3-G4-A5-A6-T7-T8-C9-O6meG10-C11-G12) duplexes (henceforth called O6meG X A 12-mer when N3 = A3 and O6meG X G 12-mer when N3 = G3), which contain symmetry-related A3 X O6meG10 and G3 X O6meG10 interactions in the interior of the helices. We observe inter-base-pair nuclear Overhauser effects (NOE) between the base protons at the N3 X O6meG10 modification site and protons of flanking G2 X C11 and G4 X C9 base-pairs, indicative of the stacking of N3 and O6meG10 bases in both O6meG X A 12-mer and O6meG X G 12-mer duplexes. We have assigned all the base and a majority of the sugar protons from two-dimensional proton-correlated and nuclear Overhauser effect experiments on the O6meG X A 12-mer duplex and O6meG X G 12-mer duplex in solution. The observed NOEs establish that the A3 and O6meG10 at the modification site and all other residues adopt the anti configuration about the glycosidic bond, and that the O6meG X A 12-mer forms a right-handed duplex. The interaction between the bulky purine A3 and O6meG10 residues in the anti orientation results in large proton chemical shift perturbations at the (G2-A3-G4) X (C9-O6meG10-C11) segments of the helix. By contrast, we demonstrate that the O6meG10 residue adopts a syn configuration, while all other bases adopt an anti configuration about the glycosidic bond in the right-handed O6meG X G 12-mer duplex. This results in altered NOE patterns between the base protons of O6meG10 and the base and sugar protons of flanking C9 and C11 residues in the O6meG X G 12-mer duplex. The phosphorus backbone is perturbed at the modification site in both duplexes, since the phosphorus resonances are dispersed over 2 parts per million in the O6meG X A 12-mer and over 1 part per million in the O6meG X G 12-mer compared to a 0.5 part per million dispersion for an unperturbed DNA helix. We propose tentative pairing schemes for the A3 X O6meG10 and G3 X O6meG10 interactions in the above dodecanucleotide duplexes.

Structural studies of the O6meG.C interaction in the d(C-G-C-G-A-A-T-T-C-O6meG-C-G) duplex.

One- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments have been undertaken to investigate the conformation of the d(C1-G2-C3-G4-A5-A6-T7-T8-C9-O6meG10-C11-G12) self-complementary dodecanucleotide (henceforth called O6meG.C 12-mer), which contains C3.O6meG10 interactions in the interior of the helix. We observe intact base pairs at G2.C11 and G4.C9 on either side of the modification site at low temperature though these base pairs are kinetically destabilized in the O6meG.C 12-mer duplex compared to the G.C 12-mer duplex. One-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs) on the exchangeable imino protons demonstrate that the C3 and O6meG10 bases are stacked into the helix and act as spacers between the flanking G2.C11 and G4.C9 base pairs. The nonexchangeable base and H1', H2', H2'', H3', and H4' protons have been completely assigned in the O6meG.C 12-mer duplex at 25 degrees C by two-dimensional correlated (COSY) and nuclear Overhauser effect (NOESY) experiments. The observed NOEs and their directionality demonstrate that the O6meG.C 12-mer is a right-handed helix in which the O6meG10 and C3 bases maintain their anti conformation about the glycosidic bond at the modification site. The NOEs between the H8 of O6meG10 and the sugar protons of O6meG10 and adjacent C9 exhibit an altered pattern indicative of a small conformational change from a regular duplex in the C9-O6meG10 step of the O6meG.C 12-mer duplex. We propose a pairing scheme for the C3.O6meG10 interaction at the modification site. Three phosphorus resonances are shifted to low field of the normal spectral dispersion in the O6meG.C 12-mer phosphorus spectrum at low temperature, indicative of an altered phosphodiester backbone at the modification site. These NMR results are compared with the corresponding parameters in the G.C 12-mer, which contains Watson-Crick base pairs at the same position in the helix.

Structural studies of the O6meG.T interaction in the d(C-G-T-G-A-A-T-T-C-O6meG-C-G) duplex.

High-resolution proton and phosphorus NMR studies are reported on the self-complementary d(C1-G2-T3-G4-A5-A6-T7-T8-C9-O6meG10-C11-G12) duplex (henceforth called O6meG.T 12-mer), which contains T3.O6meG10 interactions in the interior of the helix. The imino proton of T3 is observed at 9.0 ppm, exhibits a temperature-independent chemical shift in the premelting transition range, and broadens out at the same temperature as the imino proton of the adjacent G2.C11 toward the end of the helix at pH 6.8. We observed inter base pair nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs) between the base protons at the T3.O6meG10 modification site and the protons of flanking G2.C11 and G4.C9 base pairs, indicative of the stacking of the T3 and O6meG10 bases into the helix. Two-dimensional correlated (COSY) and nuclear Overhauser effect (NOESY) studies have permitted assignment of the base and sugar H1', H2', and H2'' nonexchangeable protons in the O6meG.T 12-mer duplex. The observed NOEs demonstrate an anti conformation about all the glycosidic bonds, and their directionality supports formation of a right-handed helix in solution. The observed NOEs between the T3.O6meG10 interaction and the adjacent G2.C11 and G4.C9 base pairs at the modification site exhibit small departures from patterns for a regular helix in the O6.meG.T 12-mer duplex. The phosphorus resonances exhibit a 0.5 ppm spectral dispersion indicative of an unperturbed phosphodiester backbone for the O6meG.T 12-mer duplex. We propose a model for pairing of T3 and O6meG10 at the modification site in the O6meG.T 12-mer duplex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Covalent carcinogenic lesions in DNA: NMR studies of O6-methylguanosine containing oligonucleotide duplexes.

We report on proton and phosphorus high resolution NMR investigations of the self-complementary dodecanucleotide d(C1-G2-N3-G4-A5-A6-T7-T8-C9-O6meG10-C11-G12) duplexes (henceforth called O6 meG.N 12-mers), N = C, T, A and G, which contain N3.O6meG10 interactions in the interior of the helix. These sequences containing a single modified O6meG per strand were prepared by phosphoamidite synthesis and provide an excellent model for probing the structural basis for covalent carcinogenic lesions in DNA. Distance dependent nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) measurements and line widths of imino protons demonstrate that the N3 and O6meG.10 bases stack into the duplex and are flanked by stable Watson-Crick base pairs at low temperature for all four O6meG.N 12-mer duplexes. The imino proton of T3 in the O6meG.T 12-mer and G3 in the O6meG.N 12-mer helix, which are associated with the modification site, resonate at unusually high field (8.5 to 9.0 ppm) compared to imino protons in Watson-Crick base pairs (12.5 to 14.5 ppm). The nonexchangeable base and sugar protons have been assigned from two dimensional correlated (COSY) and nuclear Overhauser effect (NOESY) measurements on the O6meG.N 12-mer helices. The directionality of the distance dependent NOEs establish all O6meG.N duplexes to be right-handed helices in solution. The glycosidic torsion angles are in the anti range at the N3.O6meG10 modification site except for O6meG10 in the O6meG.G 12-mer duplex which adopts a syn configuration. This results in altered NOEs between the G3 (anti).O6meG10 (syn) pair and flanking G2.C11 and G4.C9 base pairs in the O6meG.G 12-mer duplex. We observe pattern reversal for cross peaks in the COSY spectrum linking the sugar H1' protons with the H2',2" protons at the G2 and O6meG10 residues in the O6meG.N 12-mer duplexes with the effect least pronounced for the O6meG.T 12-mer helix. The proton chemical shift and NOE data have been analyzed to identify regions of conformational perturbations associated with N3.O6meG10 modification sites in the O6meG.N 12-mer duplexes. The proton decoupled phosphorus spectrum of O6meG.T 12-mer duplex exhibits an unperturbed phosphodiester backbone in contrast to the phosphorus spectra of the O6meG.C 12-mer, O6meG.G 12-mer and O6meG.A 12-mer duplexes which exhibit phosphorus resonances dispersed over 2 ppm characteristic of altered phosphodiester backbones at the modification site. Tentative proposals are put forward for N3.O6meG10 pairing models based on the available NMR data and serve as a guide for the design of future experiments.

Methylation of thymine residues during oligonucleotide synthesis.

Thymine residues in an oligodeoxyribonucleotide are subject to methylation at N3 by the internucleotide methyl phosphotriester linkages. This alkylation occurs most rapidly in the presence of a strong base such as DBU, but also takes place, at a much slower rate, during oligonucleotide synthesis.

Synthesis and characterization of a set of four dodecadeoxyribonucleoside undecaphosphates containing O6-methylguanine opposite adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine.

A set of four self-complementary dodecanucleoside undecaphosphates, d[CGNGAATTC(O6Me)GCG], where N = A, C, G, or T, has been synthesized by a phosphoramidite procedure. A single large-scale preparation of the nonamer d[DMT-GpApApTpTpCp(O6Me)GpCpG] was divided into four portions for synthesis of the dodecamers. The synthesis, purification (high-performance liquid chromatography), and characterization of each of these molecules are described. Each sequence forms a stable duplex, with a Tm between 19 and 26 degrees C lower than the Tm of the "parent" molecule d-(CGCGAATTCGCG). The lowest melting sequence is the N = T molecule; the overall order is N = C greater than A greater than G greater than T. Thus O6-methylation of guanine creates a region of localized instability in DNA regardless of the base opposite the lesion. This instability, which could disrupt some regulatory process or event, may be as significant as or more significant than is the mutation itself to the oncogenic process initiated by alkylating agents.

The influence of the purine 2-amino group on DNA conformation and stability. Synthesis and conformational analysis of d[T(2-aminoA)]3.

A self-complementary hexanucleotide consisting of thymidine and 2-amino-deoxyadenosine, d(TA')3, has been synthesized by a solid phase phosphotriester method. Melting studies show that the additional hydrogen bond afforded by the 2-amino group substantially stabilizes the duplex. Moreover, conformational analysis using circular dichroism shows that a salt-induced conformational transition occurs, similar to the B leads to Z transition observed for d(CG)n oligonucleotides.