NMR data show that the carcinogen N-2-acetylaminofluorene stabilises an intermediate of -2 frameshift mutagenesis in a region of high mutation frequency.

The heteroduplex, D(ACCGGCGCCACA) . d(TGTGG-CCGGT), containing two bulged bases, a cytosine and the guanine G7, either unmodified or modified with the carcinogen N-2-acetylaminofluorene, have been studied by NMR as models of slipped-mutagenic intermediates (SMI). The melting temperature of the modified heteroduplex is strongly increased compared with that of the unmodified heteroduplex. NMR studies have shown that all the bases of the unmodified heteroduplex are stacked within the helix, without any disruption of the sequential connectivities. The two strands are in a B-like conformation. Nevertheless, exchangeable-proton studies have revealed that base pairing is very weak, or even lacking, over two base pairs apart from the bulge. Concerning the modified heteroduplex, no B-like connectivity is observed in the G5-C9 segment. Moreover, the cytosine C8 is rejected outside the helix, whereas the N-2-acetylaminofluorene moiety is inserted within the helix. The G5.C18, C6.G17 and C9.G16 bases are remarkably stable when the temperature is increased, in agreement with the high melting temperature. Some small unassigned peaks reveal the presence of the minor conformation in equilibrium. The strong stabilisation of the N-2-acetylaminofluorene-modified heteroduplex compared with the unmodified duplex is in agreement with the high N-2-acetylaminofluorene-induced mutation frequency compared with the spontaneous frequency and with the hypothesis of mutagenesis occurring during replication.

NMR evidence of the stabilisation by the carcinogen N-2-acetylaminofluorene of a frameshift mutagenesis intermediate.

Two heteroduplexes d(C1A2C3T4C5G6C7A8C9A10C11)-d (G12T13G14T15G16G17A18G19T20G21) containing a bulged guanine either unmodified or modified with the carcinogen N-2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) have been studied by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as models of slipped mutagenic intermediates (SMI). Conformational equilibria are observed in both the unmodified and the AAF-modified heteroduplexes. The major conformation of the unmodified duplex is one where the extra guanine is stacked in the helix and the major conformation of the AAF-modified heteroduplex is one where the AAF is external to the helix. Unusual sugar proton chemical shifts of C5- and G6-AAF indicate that the AAF ring is pointing out in the 5' direction. A strong increase in the modified heteroduplex melting temperature (+15 degrees C) is observed. Moreover, in contrast to the unmodified heteroduplex, which shows extensive melting in the vicinity of the bulged guanine, the base pairs around the bulge in the AAF-modified heteroduplex remain paired at temperatures up to 30 degrees C. This exceptional stability of the site around the bulged modified guanine is suggested to be responsible for the high rate of -1 mutation induced by AAF at repetitive sequences.

1H- and 31P-NMR studies of ditercalinium binding to a d(GCGC)2 and d(CCTATAGG)2 minihelices: a sequence specificity study.

The structures of the complexes formed in aqueous solution between ditercalinium, a bis-intercalating drug, and both the self-complementary tetranucleotide d(GCGC)2 and octanucleotide d(CCTATAGG)2, have been investigated by 400-MHz 1H-nmr and 162-MHz 31P-nmr. All the nonexchangeable protons, as well as the exchangeable imino protons and the phosphorus signals, have been assigned. Both oligonucleotides have been shown to adopt a right-handed B-DNA type structure. The addition of ditercalinium to the oligonucleotides lead to the formation of complexes in slow exchange at the nmr time scale with the free helices. At all drug-to-helix ratios studied, the ditercalinium was found in the bound form, whereas free and complexed oligonucleotides were in slow exchange, allowing resonance assignments through two-dimensional chemical exchange experiments. for d(GCGC)2 the strong upfield shifts induced on all aromatic protons of both the bases and the drug by complexation with ditercalinium suggest an interaction by intercalation of the two rings. However, the loss of twofold symmetry upon binding, as well as the chemical shift variation of the drug proton signals of one of the chromophores with temperature and concentration, favor a model in which the drug-nucleotide complexes have one ring of the drug intercalated and the other stacked on top of the external base pair. The intermolecular contacts between drug protons and nucleotide protons give a defined geometry for complexation that is consistent with the proposed model. In contrast, with d(CCTATAGG)2 several drug-nucleotide complexes were formed and a large increase in line broadening was observed at high drug-to-DNA ratios, precluding a detailed analysis of these complexes. However, the large upfield shift in the imino proton resonances together with the shielding of the ditercalinium ring protons favor a model with bis-intercalation of ditercalinium. This model is supported by the downfield shift of at least 4 out of 14 phosphorus signals. The results are compared with those obtained on ditercalinium binding to the homologous sequences d(CGCG)2 and d(TTCGCGAA)2, and discussed in terms of sequence specificity.