Redesigning nucleic acids.

A research program has applied the tools of synthetic organic chemistry to systematically modify the structure of DNA and RNA oligonucleotides to learn more about the chemical principles underlying their ability to store and transmit genetic information. Oligonucleotides (as opposed to nucleosides) have long been overlooked by synthetic organic chemists as targets for structural modification. Synthetic chemistry has now yielded oligonucleotides with 12 replicatable letters, modified backbones, and new insight into why Nature chose the oligonucleotide structures that she did.

Trinucleotide phosphoramidites: ideal reagents for the synthesis of mixed oligonucleotides for random mutagenesis.

Trinucleotide phosphoramidites representing codons for all 20 amino acids have been prepared and used in automated, solid-phase DNA synthesis. In contrast to an earlier report, we show that these substances can be used to introduce entire codons into oligonucleotides in excess of 98% yield, and are ideal reagents for the synthesis of mixed oligonucleotides for random mutagenesis.

Enzymatic recognition of the base pair between isocytidine and isoguanosine.

The ability of various polymerases to catalyze the template-directed formation of a base pair between isoguanine (iso-G) and isocytosine (iso-C) in duplex oligonucleotides has been investigated. A new procedure was developed for preparing derivatives of deoxyisoguanosine suitable for incorporation into DNA using an automated DNA synthesizer. T7 RNA polymerase, AMV reverse transcriptase, and the Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase all incorporated iso-G opposite iso-C in a template. T4 DNA polymerase did not. Several polymerases also incorporated iso-G opposite T, presumably through pairing with a minor tautomeric form of iso-G complementary to T. In a template, iso-G directs the incorporation of both iso-C and T when Klenow fragment is the catalyst and only U when T7 RNA polymerase is the catalyst. Further, derivatives of iso-C were found to undergo significant amounts of deamination under alkaline conditions used for base deprotection after automated oligonucleotide synthesis. Both the deamination reaction of iso-C and the ambivalent tautomeric forms of iso-G make it unlikely that the (iso-C).(iso-G) base pair was a part of information storage molecules also containing the A.T and G.C base pairs found in primitive forms of life that emerged on planet earth several billion years ago. Nevertheless, the extra letters in the genetic alphabet can serve useful roles in a contemporary laboratory setting.

The 2-amino group of guanine is absolutely required for specific binding of the anti-cancer antibiotic echinomycin to DNA.

The 2-amino group of guanine is believed to be a critical determinant of potential DNA binding sites for echinomycin and related quinoxaline antibiotics. In order to probe its importance directly we have studied the interaction between echinomycin and DNA species in which guanine N(2) is deleted by virtue of substitution of inosine for guanosine residues. The polymerase chain reaction was used to prepare inosine-substituted DNA. Binding of echinomycin, assessed by DNAse I footprinting, was practically abolished by incorporation of inosine into one or both strands of DNA. We conclude that both the purines in the preferred CpG binding site need to bear a 2-amino group to interact with echinomycin.

Abortive products as initiating nucleotides during transcription by T7 RNA polymerase.

The kinetics of formation of abortive initiation products during transcription of a synthetic template (encoding the transcript GAUGGC) by T7 RNA polymerase have been determined. This study revealed that while total RNA was formed in the reaction as expected, the levels of the dinucleoside tetraphosphate guanylyl-3',5'-adenosine-5'-triphosphate (pppGpA) and trinucleoside pentaphosphate guanylyl-3',5'-adenosine-3',5'-uridine-5'-triphosphate (pppGpApU) formed by premature termination of transcription reached a maximum after 10 min, and then decreased. Transcription of the same template, in the presence of either [gamma-32P]GTP and ATP, or GTP and [alpha-32P]ATP, gave the 32P-labeled dinucleotides *pppGpA and pppG*pA. Incorporation of each of these substrates into longer RNA transcripts in the same enzyme-template system was demonstrated. The incorporation was shown to require the presence of template in the reaction mixture. The requirement for base complementarity restricts the position of incorporation to that of initiating (5') nucleotide. Transcription of a second template, which encodes an RNA transcript having the partial sequence GpA at two internal positions, in the presence of each of the labeled dinucleoside tetraphosphates, failed to bring about the synthesis of significant yields of any longer radiolabeled transcripts. It is concluded that dinucleoside tetraphosphate (and perhaps trinucleoside pentaphosphate) can function as initiating nucleotides when complementary to the nucleotide sequence at promoter regions. However, a dinucleotide is not used as substrate for subsequent chain elongation in T7 RNA polymerase catalyzed transcription reactions.

A C-nucleotide base pair: methylpseudouridine-directed incorporation of formycin triphosphate into RNA catalyzed by T7 RNA polymerase.

With templates containing 2'-deoxy-1-methylpseudouridine (dm psi), T7 RNA polymerase catalyzes the incorporation of either adenosine triphosphate (ATP) or formycin triphosphate (FTP) into a growing chain of RNA with the same efficiency as with templates containing thymidine (dT). In each case, the overall rate of synthesis of full-length products containing formycin is about one-tenth of the rate of synthesis of analogous products containing adenosine. Analysis of the products of abortive initiation shows that incorporation of FMP into the growing oligonucleotide by T7 RNA polymerase is more likely to lead to premature termination of transcription than is incorporation of AMP. Nevertheless, the results demonstrate that T7 RNA polymerase tolerates the formation of a C-nucleotide transcription complex in which the nucleoside bases on both the template and the incoming nucleotide are joined to the ribose by a carbon-carbon bond. This result increases the prospects for further expanding the genetic alphabet via incorporation of new base pairs with novel hydrogen-bonding schemes (Piccirilli et al., 1990).

Enzymatic incorporation of a new base pair into DNA and RNA extends the genetic alphabet.

A new Watson-Crick base pair, with a hydrogen bonding pattern different from that in the A.T and G.C base pairs, is incorporated into duplex DNA and RNA by DNA and RNA polymerases and expands the genetic alphabet from 4 to 6 letters. This expansion could lead to RNAs with greater diversity in functional groups and greater catalytic potential.

Modification of the binding site(s) of lectins by an affinity column carrying an activated galactose-terminated ligand.

An affinity column approach is described, aimed at the modification of the galactose binding site(s) of ricin in an effort to block the binding of ricin to cells. The affinity column was prepared by linking N-(2'-mercaptoethyl)lactamine to pyridyldithio-activated polyacrylamide heads. The linker between the ligand and the solid support thus contained a disulfide bond and an unmodified terminal galactose moiety. The amino group of the ligand was allowed to react with the bifunctional cross-linking reagent 2,4-dichloro-6-methoxytriazine. The lectin was then allowed to bind to the galactose functions on the activated column at pH 7.0, prior to raising the pH to 8.6 to initiate the cross-linking reaction between the ligand and the lectin. Lectin that was not covalently linked to the functionalized galactose residues on the column was eluted with galactose or lactose. Finally, the covalent ligand-lectin complexes were released from the solid support by reducing the disulfide bond between the ligand and the support. The affinity column was used in this way to modify the galactose binding site(s) of ricin. Upon release from the affinity column, blocked ricin was purified from unmodified ricin by affinity chromatography on columns of immobilized asialofetuin (a ligand to which ricin binds very tightly). The sulfhydryl group formed by cleavage of the ligand-ricin complex from the column was labeled with [3H]-N-ethylmaleimide to provide evidence that one blocking ligand was linked per ricin molecule. The blocked ricin and a conjugate of the blocked ricin with the monoclonal antibody J5 were toxic for cultures of Namalwa cells in vitro.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A coupled enzyme assay for isopenicillin N synthetase.

The development of a coupled enzyme assay for the determination of isopenicillin N synthetase activity in purified extracts from Cephalosporium acremonium was described. Isopenicillin N formed from its precursor, delta-(L-alpha-aminoadipyl)-L-cysteinyl-D-valine (ACV), by the synthetase was hydrolyzed by beta-lactamase I to the corresponding penicilloic acid. Automatic titration of the acid with standard sodium hydroxide delivered by a pH-stat gave a continuous plot of product formed vs time. This assay has been used in kinetic studies and to determine the effects of pH, ionic strength, and temperature on the enzyme's activity.