5'-Phosphonate modified oligoadenylates as potent activators of human RNase L.

The oligoadenylate synthetase-ribonuclease L pathway is a major player in the interferon-induced antiviral defense mechanism of cells. Upon sensing viral dsRNA, 5'-phosphorylated 2',5'-oligoadenylates are synthesized, and subsequently activate latent RNase L. To determine the influence of 5'-phosphate end on the activation of human RNase L, four sets of 5'-phosphonate modified oligoadenylates were prepared on solid-phase. The ability of these 5'-modified oligoadenylates bearing shortened, isosteric and prolonged phosphonate linkages to activate RNase L was explored. We found that isosteric linkages and linkages prolonged by one atom were in general well tolerated by the enzyme with the EC50 values comparable to that of the natural activator. In contrast, linkages shortened by one atom or prolonged by two atoms exhibited decrease in the activity.

Anchored linear oligonucleotides: the effective tool for the real-time measurement of uracil DNA glycosylase activity.

Base excision repair is one of the important DNA repair mechanisms in cells. The fundamental role in this complex process is played by DNA glycosylases. Here, we present a novel approach for the real-time measurement of uracil DNA glycosylase activity, which employs selected oligonucleotides immobilized on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles and Förster resonance energy transfer. We also show that the approach can be performed by surface plasmon resonance sensor technology. We demonstrate that the immobilization of oligonucleotides provides much more reliable data than the free oligonucleotides including molecular beacons. Moreover, our results show that the method provides the possibility to address the relationship between the efficiency of uracil DNA glycosylase activity and the arrangement of the used oligonucleotide probes. For instance, the introduction of the nick into oligonucleotide containing the target base (uracil) resulted in the substantial decrease of uracil DNA glycosylase activity of both the bacterial glycosylase and glycosylases naturally present in nuclear lysates.

Synthesis of phosphonate derivatives of 2'-deoxy-2'-fluorotetradialdose d-nucleosides and tetradialdose d-nucleosides.

Analogs of nucleosides and nucleotides represent a promising pool of potential therapeutics. This work describes a new synthetic route leading to 2'-deoxy-2'-fluorotetradialdose D-nucleoside phosphonates. Moreover, a new universal synthetic route leading to tetradialdose d-nucleosides bearing purine nucleobases is also described. All new compounds were tested as triphosphate analogs for inhibitory potency against a variety of viral polymerases. The fluorinated nucleosides were transformed to phosphoramidate prodrugs and evaluated in cell cultures against various viruses including influenza and SARS-CoV-2.

Insight into formation propensity of pseudocircular DNA G-hairpins.

We recently showed that Saccharomyces cerevisiae telomeric DNA can fold into an unprecedented pseudocircular G-hairpin (PGH) structure. However, the formation of PGHs in the context of extended sequences, which is a prerequisite for their function in vivo and their applications in biotechnology, has not been elucidated. Here, we show that despite its 'circular' nature, PGHs tolerate single-stranded (ss) protrusions. High-resolution NMR structure of a novel member of PGH family reveals the atomistic details on a junction between ssDNA and PGH unit. Identification of new sequences capable of folding into one of the two forms of PGH helped in defining minimal sequence requirements for their formation. Our time-resolved NMR data indicate a possibility that PGHs fold via a complex kinetic partitioning mechanism and suggests the existence of K+ ion-dependent PGH folding intermediates. The data not only provide an explanation of cation-type-dependent formation of PGHs, but also explain the unusually large hysteresis between PGH melting and annealing noted in our previous study. Our findings have important implications for DNA biology and nanotechnology. Overrepresentation of sequences able to form PGHs in the evolutionary-conserved regions of the human genome implies their functionally important biological role(s).

Solid-Phase Synthesis of Phosphorothioate/Phosphonothioate and Phosphoramidate/Phosphonamidate Oligonucleotides.

We have developed a robust solid-phase protocol which allowed the synthesis of chimeric oligonucleotides modified with phosphodiester and O-methylphosphonate linkages as well as their P-S and P-N variants. The novel O-methylphosphonate-derived modifications were obtained by oxidation, sulfurization, and amidation of the O-methyl-(H)-phosphinate internucleotide linkage introduced into the oligonucleotide chain by H-phosphonate chemistry using nucleoside-O-methyl-(H)-phosphinates as monomers. The H-phosphonate coupling followed by oxidation after each cycle enabled us to successfully combine H-phosphonate and phosphoramidite chemistries to synthesize diversely modified oligonucleotide strands.

Nucleoside-O-Methyl-(H)-Phosphinates: Novel Monomers for the Synthesis of Methylphosphonate Oligonucleotides Using H-Phosphonate Chemistry.

This unit comprises the straightforward synthesis of protected 2'-deoxyribonucleoside-O-methyl-(H)-phosphinates in both 3'- and 5'-series. These compounds represent a new class of monomers compatible with the solid-phase synthesis of oligonucleotides using H-phosphonate chemistry and are suitable for the preparation of both 3'- and 5'-O-methylphosphonate oligonucleotides. The synthesis of 4-toluenesulfonyloxymethyl-(H)-phosphinic acid as a new reagent for the preparation of O-methyl-(H)-phosphinic acid derivatives is described. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Tuning the hybridization properties of modified oligonucleotides: from flexible to conformationally constrained phosphonate internucleotide linkages.

The concept of conformational restriction leading to the preorganization of modified strands has proven to be successful and has afforded nucleic acid analogues with many interesting properties suitable for various biochemical applications. We utilized this concept to prepare a set of constrained oligonucleotides derived from 1,4-dioxane and 1,3-dioxolane-locked nucleoside phosphonates and evaluated their hybridization affinities towards their complementary RNA strands. With an increase of ΔTm per modification up to +5.2 °C, the hybridization experiments revealed the (S)-2',3'-O-phosphonomethylidene internucleotide linkage as one of the most Tm-increasing modifications reported to date. Moreover, we introduced a novel prediction tool for the pre-selection of potentially interesting chemical modifications of oligonucleotides.

Synthesis of 4'-Methoxy 2'-Deoxynucleoside Phosphoramidites for Incorporation into Oligonucleotides.

This unit contains detailed synthetic protocols for the preparation of 4'-methoxy 2'-deoxynucleoside phosphoramidite monomers for A, G, C, T, and U. First, 3'-silyl-protected 2'-deoxynucleosides (dNs) are converted in two steps to 4',5'-enol acetates as the key starting compounds. Next, 4'-methoxy dNs are prepared by a one-pot procedure comprising N-iodosuccinimide-promoted methoxylation, hydrolysis, and reduction of the formed intermediates. Finally, 3'-phosphoramidites of 4'-methoxy dNs are obtained by a routine three-step procedure. Title phosphoramidite monomers are suitable for the synthesis of oligonucleotides on solid phase according to conventional amidite chemistry. 4'-Methoxy substitution represents a simple modification of the sugar part of dNs, where ß-D-erythro epimers preferentially adopt N-type (C3'-endo, RNA-like) conformation. Moreover, it imparts superior chemical stability, nuclease resistance, and excellent hybridization properties to modified 4'-methoxyoligodeoxynucleotides. The strong tendency toward RNA-selective hybridization suggests its potential utilization in antisense and/or RNAi technologies. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

4-Toluenesulfonyloxymethyl-(H)-phosphinate: A Reagent for the Introduction of O- and S-Methyl-(H)-phosphinate Moieties.

The straightforward synthesis of sodium 4-toluenesulfonyloxymethyl-(H)-phosphinate and (H)-phosphinomethylisothiouronium tosylate as new reagents for the preparation of O- and S-methyl-(H)-phosphinic acid derivatives, respectively, is described. The reactivity of both reagents was demonstrated by the preparation of protected 2'-deoxyribonucleoside-O-methyl-(H)-phosphinates in the 5'- and 3'-series and 2',5'-dideoxyribonucleoside-5'-S-methyl-(H)-phosphinates. These compounds represent a new class of monomers compatible with the solid phase synthesis of oligonucleotides by H-phosphonate chemistry, as it was proved with the synthesis of a fully phosphonate heptamer.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: a strange case of 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxycytidine.

5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxycytidine (EdC) are mainly used as markers of cellular replicational activity. Although EdU is employed as a replicational marker more frequently than EdC, its cytotoxicity is commonly much higher than the toxicity of EdC. To reveal the reason of the lower cytotoxicity of EdC, we performed a DNA analysis of five EdC-treated human cell lines. Surprisingly, not a single one of the tested cell lines contained a detectable amount of EdC in their DNA. Instead, the DNA of all the cell lines contained EdU. The content of incorporated EdU differed in particular cells and EdC-related cytotoxicity was directly proportional to the content of EdU. The results of experiments with the targeted inhibition of the cytidine deaminase (CDD) and dCMP deaminase activities indicated that the dominant role in the conversion pathway of EdC to EdUTP is played by CDD in HeLa cells. Our results also showed that the deamination itself was not able to effectively prevent the conversion of EdC to EdCTP, the conversion of EdC to EdCTP occurs with much lesser effectivity than the conversion of EdU to EdUTP and the EdCTP is not effectively recognized by the replication complex as a substrate for the synthesis of nuclear DNA.

Straightforward Synthesis of Purine 4'-Alkoxy-2'-deoxynucleosides: First Report of Mixed Purine-Pyrimidine 4'-Alkoxyoligodeoxynucleotides as New RNA Mimics.

Purine and pyrimidine 4'-alkoxy-2'-deoxynucleosides were efficiently prepared from nucleoside 4'-5'-enol acetates in three steps by N-iodosuccinimide promoted alkoxylation, hydrolysis, and reduction followed by conversion to phosphoramidite monomers for the solid-phase synthesis of the oligonucleotides. Fully modified 4'-alkoxyoligodeoxynucleotides, which are characterized by a prevalent N-type (RNA-like) conformation, exhibited superior chemical and nuclease resistance as well as excellent hybridization properties with a strong tendency for RNA-selective hybridization, suggesting a potential application of 4'-alkoxy-oligodeoxynucleotides in antisense technologies.

The Fingerprint of Anti-Bromodeoxyuridine Antibodies and Its Use for the Assessment of Their Affinity to 5-Bromo-2'-Deoxyuridine in Cellular DNA under Various Conditions.

We have developed a simple system for the analysis of the affinity of anti-bromodeoxyuridine antibodies. The system is based on the anchored oligonucleotides containing 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) at three different positions. It allows a reliable estimation of the reactivity of particular clones of monoclonal anti-bromodeoxyuridine antibodies with BrdU in fixed and permeabilized cells. Using oligonucleotide probes and four different protocols for the detection of BrdU incorporated in cellular DNA, we identified two antibody clones that evinced sufficient reactivity to BrdU in all the tested protocols. One of these clones exhibited higher reactivity to 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine (IdU) than to BrdU. It allowed us to increase the sensitivity of the used protocols without a negative effect on the cell physiology as the cytotoxicity of IdU was comparable with BrdU and negligible when compared to 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine. The combination of IdU and the improved protocol for oxidative degradation of DNA provided a sensitive and reliable approach for the situations when the low degradation of DNA and high BrdU signal is a priority.

N-Branched acyclic nucleoside phosphonates as monomers for the synthesis of modified oligonucleotides.

Protected N-branched nucleoside phosphonates containing adenine and thymine bases were prepared as the monomers for the introduction of aza-acyclic nucleotide units into modified oligonucleotides. The phosphotriester and phosphoramidite methods were used for the incorporation of modified and natural units, respectively. The solid phase synthesis of a series of nonamers containing one central modified unit was successfully performed in both 3'→5' and 5'→3' directions. Hybridization properties of the prepared oligoribonucleotides and oligodeoxyribonucleotides were evaluated. The measurement of thermal characteristics of the complexes of modified nonamers with the complementary strand revealed a considerable destabilizing effect of the introduced units. We also examined the substrate/inhibitory properties of aza-acyclic nucleoside phosphono-diphosphate derivatives (analogues of nucleoside triphosphates) but neither inhibition of human and bacterial DNA polymerases nor polymerase-mediated incorporation of these triphosphate analogues into short DNA was observed.

A comparison of the dose distributions from three proton treatment planning systems in the planning of meningioma patients with single-field uniform dose pencil beam scanning.

With the number of new proton centers increasing rapidly, there is a need for an assessment of the available proton treatment planning systems (TPSs). This study compares the dose distributions of complex meningioma plans produced by three proton TPSs: Eclipse, Pinnacle3, and XiO. All three systems were commissioned with the same beam data and, as best as possible, matched configuration settings. Proton treatment plans for ten patients were produced on each system with a pencil beam scanning, single-field uniform dose approach, using a fixed horizontal beamline. All 30 plans were subjected to identical dose constraints, both for the target coverage and organ at risk (OAR) sparing, with a consistent order of priority. Beam geometry, lateral field margins, and lateral spot resolutions were made consistent across all systems. Few statistically significant differences were found between the target coverage and OAR sparing of each system, with all optimizers managing to produce plans within clinical tolerances (D2 < 107% of prescribed dose, D5 < 105%, D95 > 95%, D99 > 90%, and OAR maximum doses) despite strict constraints and overlapping structures.

Synthesis of locked cyclohexene and cyclohexane nucleic acids (LCeNA and LCNA) with modified adenosine units.

We describe here the preparation of conformationally locked cyclohexane nucleic acids designed as hybrids between locked nucleic acids (LNAs) and cyclohexene nucleic acids (CeNAs), both of which excel in hybridization with complementary RNAs. We have accomplished the synthesis of these adenine derivatives starting from a simple ketoester and installed all four chiral centres by means of total synthesis. The acquired monomers were incorporated into nonamer oligonucleotides.

Assessment of the dosimetric accuracies of CATPhan 504 and CIRS 062 using kV-CBCT for performing direct calculations.

The dosimetric accuracies of CATPhan 504 and CIRS 062 have been evaluated using the kV-CBCT of Varian TrueBeam linac and Eclipse TPS. The assessment was done using the kV-CBCT as a standalone tool for dosimetric calculations towards Adaptive replanning. Dosimetric calculations were made without altering the HU-ED curves of the planning computed tomography (CT) scanner that is used by the Eclipse TPS. All computations were done using the images and dataset from kV-CBCT while maintaining the HU-ED calibration curve of the planning CT (pCT), assuming pCT was used for the initial treatment plan. Results showed that the CIRS phantom produces doses within ±5% of the CT-based plan while CATPhan 504 produces a variation of ±14% of the CT-based plan.

Conformationally constrained nucleoside phosphonic acids--potent inhibitors of human mitochondrial and cytosolic 5'(3')-nucleotidases.

This work describes novel in vitro inhibitors of human mitochondrial (mdN) and cytosolic (cdN) 5'(3')-deoxynucleotidases. We designed a series of derivatives of the lead compound (S)-1-[2-deoxy-3,5-O-(phosphonobenzylidene)-ß-d-threo-pentofuranosyl]thymine bearing various substituents in the para position of the benzylidene moiety. Detailed kinetic study revealed that certain para substituents increase the inhibitory potency (iodo derivative; K = 2.71 µM) and some induce a shift in selectivity toward cdN (carboxy derivative, K = 11.60 µM; iodoxy derivative, K = 6.60 µM). Crystal structures of mdN in complex with three of these compounds revealed that various para substituents lead to two alternative inhibitor binding modes within the enzyme active site. Two binding modes were also identified for cdN complexes by heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy.

In vivo dosimetry for total body irradiation: five-year results and technique comparison.

The aim of this work is to establish if the new CT-based total body irradiation (TBI) planning techniques used at University College London Hospital (UCLH) and Royal Free Hospital (RFH) are comparable to the previous technique at the Middlesex Hospital (MXH) by analyzing predicted and measured diode results. TBI aims to deliver a homogeneous dose to the entire body, typically using extended SSD fields with beam modulation to limit doses to organs at risk. In vivo dosimetry is used to verify the accuracy of delivered doses. In 2005, when the Middlesex Hospital was decommissioned and merged with UCLH, both UCLH and the RFH introduced updated CT-planned TBI techniques, based on the old MXH technique. More CT slices and in vivo measurement points were used by both; UCLH introduced a beam modulation technique using MLC segments, while RFH updated to a combination of lead compensators and bolus. Semiconductor diodes were used to measure entrance and exit doses in several anatomical locations along the entire body. Diode results from both centers for over five years of treatments were analyzed and compared to the previous MXH technique for accuracy and precision of delivered doses. The most stable location was the field center with standard deviations of 4.1% (MXH), 3.7% (UCLH), and 1.7% (RFH). The least stable position was the ankles. Mean variation with fraction number was within 1.5% for all three techniques. In vivo dosimetry can be used to verify complex modulated CT-planned TBI, and demonstrate improvements and limitations in techniques. The results show that the new UCLH technique is no worse than the previous MXH one and comparable to the current RFH technique.

Theoretical and experimental study of charge transfer through DNA: impact of mercury mediated T-Hg-T base pair.

DNA-Hg complexes may play an important role in sensing DNA defects or in detecting the presence of Hg in the environment. A fundamental way of characterizing DNA-Hg complexes is to study the way the electric charge is transferred through the molecular chain. The main goal of this contribution was to investigate the impact of a mercury metal cation that links two thymine bases in a DNA T-T mismatched base pair (T-Hg-T) on charge transfer through the DNA molecule. We compared the charge transfer efficiencies in standard DNA, DNA with mismatched T-T base pairs, and DNA with a T-Hg(II)-T base pair. For this purpose, we measured the temperature dependence of steady-state fluorescence and UV-vis of the DNA molecules. The experimental results were confronted with the results obtained employing theoretical DFT methods. Generally, the efficiency of charge transfer was driven by mercury changing the spatial overlap of bases.