Studies on the conformation of purine nucleosides and their 5'-phosphates

Characterization and biological activity of 8-substituted analogues of 2',5'-oligoadenylates

Analogues of the 2',5'-linked adenylate trimer 5'-monophosphates (p5'A2'p5'A2'p5'A) containing 8-hydroxyadenosine and 8-mercaptoadenosine in the first, second, and third nucleotide positions were tested for their ability to bind to and activate RNase L of mouse L cells. The ability of p5'ASH2'p5'ASH2'p5'ASH (pASH3) (1c) to bind 2-5A dependent endonuclease was markedly decreased. On the other hand, an analogue of the 2',5'-linked adenylate trimer monophosphate substituted by 8-hydroxyadenosine in the first, second, and third nucleotide positions bound almost as well as parent 2-5A [pppA(2'p5'A)2] (p3A3) (1d) to RNase L. The 8-substituted analogues of 2-5A were more resistant to the degradation by the (2',5') phosphodiesterase. Of particular interest is monophosphate, pASH3 (1c) which possessed higher anti-HIV activity than pA3 (1a) or pAOH3 (1b).

Structure-activity relationship of ligands of human plasma adenosine deaminase2

Diethylaminoethyl-cellulose chromatography was used to separate the two isoenzymes of adenosine deaminase (EC3.5.4.4), adenosine deaminase1 (ADA1) and adenosine deaminase2 (ADA2), in human plasma. One hundred and fifteen purine base, nucleoside, and nucleotide analogs were tested as inhibitors of this partially purified preparation of ADA2. Coformycin and 2'-deoxycoformycin were by far the most potent inhibitors of this isoenzyme (apparent Ki values 20 and 19 nM, respectively). ADA2 was also inhibited by nebularine (apparent Ki 1.5 mM) but was resistant to the potent ADA1 inhibitor (+)-erythro-9(2-S-hydroxy-3-R-nonyl)adenine. alpha-D-Adenosine also inhibited ADA2, as did several halogenated purine and adenine base analogs. Structural requirements for the binding of purine analogs to ADA2 are presented which provide a general basis for the design of specific inhibitors of ADA2. Such inhibitors may be useful in studies designed to provide an understanding of the physiological role of ADA2 both in the normal state and in diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection where levels in plasma are increased markedly.

Purine 8-substitution modulates the ribonuclease L binding and activation abilities of 2',5'-oligoadenylates

Analogues of the 2',5'-linked adenylate trimers monophosphate (p5'A2'p5'A2'p5'A) containing 8-hydroxypropyladenosine, 8-bromoadenosine, and 8-hydroxyadenosine in the first, second, and third nucleotide positions were tested for their ability to bind to and activate RNase L of mouse L cells. p5'AHPr2'p5'AHPr2'p5'AHPr (pAHPr3) (1b) and p5'ABr2'p5'ABr2'p5'ABr (pABr3) (1d) were markedly decreased in ability to bind to the 2-5A dependent endonuclease. On the other hand, analogue of the 2',5'-linked adenylate trimer monophosphate substituted by 8-hydroxyadenosine in the first, second, and third nucleotide position was bound about as well as parent 2-5A [pppA(2'p5'A)2] (p3A3) (1e) to RNase L. Additionally, p5'AOH2'p5'AOH2'p5'AOH (pAOH3) (1c) was as active as parent 2-5A in the rRNA cleavage assay, while pAHPr3 (1b) and pABr3 (1d) were devoid of activity. The 8-substituted analogues of 2-5A were more resistant to the degradation by the (2',5') phosphodiesterase. Finally of particular interest was monophosphate, pAOH3 (1c) which possessed nearly 100% of the translation inhibitory activity of 2-5A triphosphate itself. These results suggest that changes in the base-sugar torsion angles of 2-5A may modulate both binding to and activation of mouse L cell RNase L.

NMR studies of a DNA containing 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine

The effects of hydroxylation at the C8 of a deoxyguanosine residue in DNA were studied by NMR analysis of a self-complementary dodecanucleotide, d(C1-G2-C3-oh8G4-A5-A6-T7-T8-C9-G10-C11-G12), which has an 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (oh8dG) residue at the 4th position. NMR data indicate that the 8-hydroxyguanine (oh8G) base takes a 6,8-diketo tautomeric form and is base-paired to C with Watson-Crick type hydrogen bonds in a B-form structure. The thermal stability of the duplex is reduced, but the overall structure is much the same as that of the unmodified d(CGCGAATTCGCG) duplex. The structural changes caused by 8-hydroxylation of the deoxyguanosine, if any, are localized near the modification site.

Chemical synthesis and biological activities of analogues of 2',5'-oligoadenylates containing 8-substituted adenosine derivatives

The synthesis of sequence-specific 2'-5'-oligonucleotides and analogues of 2'-5' linked oligoadenylates containing 8-substituted adenosine derivatives [8-hydroxypropyladenosine (AHPr) and 8-hydroxyadenosine (AOH)] is reported. The reaction of 5'-phosphoroimidazolidate of 8-substituted adenosines under conditions of lead ion catalyst did not give the corresponding 2'-5' oligoadenylates containing pAHPr and pAOH. When these reactions were carried out in the presence of uranyl ion (UO2(2+] in place of lead ion as a catalyst, the desired 2'-5' oligoadenylates were obtained. The p5'AHPr2'p5'AHPr2'p5'AHPr and p5'AOH2'p5'AOH2'p5'AOH, p5'A2'p5'A2'pAOH were slightly resistant to snake venom phosphodiesterase. The both circular dichroism and 1H-NMR spectra studies were used to characterize the modified 2'-5' oligoadenylates. Further, the biological activity evaluations of 8-substituted analogues of 2-5A are also described.

Studies on the structure and stabilizing factor of the CUUCGG hairpin RNA using chemically synthesized oligonucleotides

A tridecaribonucleotide, r-UGAGCUUCGGCUC, and two analogues r(UGAGC)d(UUCG)r(GCUC) and r-UGAGCUUCIGCUC, which form a hairpin structure with a four-base-paired stem and a UUCG loop, were synthesized by the solid-phase phosphoramidite method. Properties of these three oligomers and d-TGAGCTTCGGCTC, the DNA analogue, were studied by UV, CD and NMR spectroscopy. The melting temperature (Tm) data suggest that the 2'-hydroxy1 groups and the 2-amino group of guanosine in the loop (9G) stabilize the CUUCGG hairpin which is known to have an unusually high Tm. NMR studies show that this 9G takes a syn conformation and the phosphodiester backbone has a turn at 9G-10G which is a junction of the stem and loop.

5'-p-fluorosulfonyl)benzoyl-8-azidoadenosine: a new bifunctional affinity label for nucleotide binding sites in proteins

A new bifunctional affinity label, 5'-p-(fluorosulfonyl)benzoyl-8-azidoadenosine (5'-FSBAzA), has been synthesized by condensation of p-(fluorosulfonyl)benzoyl chloride with 8-azidoadenosine. 5'-FSBAzA has been characterized by elemental analysis, thin-layer chromatography, and ultraviolet and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The affinity label contains both an electrophilic fluorosulfonyl moiety and a photoactivatable azido group which are capable of reacting with several classes of amino acids found in enzymes. 5'-FSBAzA reacts with bovine liver glutamate dehydrogenase in a two-step process: a dark reaction yielding about 0.5 mol of the sulfonylbenzoyl-8-azidoadenosine (SBAzA) group bound/mol enzyme subunit by reaction of the enzyme at the fluorosulfonyl group, followed by photolysis in which 25% of the covalently bound SBAzA becomes crosslinked to the enzyme. 5'-FSBAzA-modified glutamate dehydrogenase, both before and after photolysis, retains full catalytic activity but is less sensitive to allosteric inhibition by GTP, to activation by ADP, and to inhibition by 1 mM NADH. These results suggest the modification in the dark reaction of a regulatory nucleotide binding site. Photoactivation of the covalently bound reagent may have general applicability in relating modified amino acids which are close to each other in the region of the purine nucleotide binding sites of glutamate dehydrogenase and other proteins.

Conformational analysis of brominated pA2'-5'A2'-5'A analogs. An NMR and model-building study

NMR and model-building studies were carried out on pA2'-5'A2'-5'A and analogs in which one or more of the A residues were replaced by 8-bromoadenosine. Chemical shifts, coupling constants and NOE data were used to obtain structural information. The N/S equilibrium constant of the ribose rings as well as the phase angles and puckering amplitudes were determined from the experimental coupling constants with the aid of an improved version of the PSEUROT program. Chemical shifts in combination with NOE data were used to monitor base-base interactions and the orientation of the bases (syn or anti). The combined data suggest that different types of stacking interactions are present in the various compounds. Bromination of the first or second residue in the trimers results in a preference for N-type sugar and syn orientation of the base in these residues. When A(3) is brominated, an S-type sugar conformation together with a syn orientation of the base is favoured at the 2' terminus. Energy-minimized models of the different stacking interactions are presented which fit the present collection of data. The possible correlation between biological activity of these compounds and their conformation is briefly discussed.

Comparison of the two classes of binding sites (A and B) of type I and type II cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinases by using cyclic nucleotide analogs

cAMP analogs, all 96 of which were modified in the adenine moiety, were examined quantitatively for their ability to inhibit the binding of [3H]cAMP to each of the two classes (A and B) of cAMP-binding sites of type I (rabbit skeletal muscle) and type II (bovine heart) cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The study showed that analogs can be constructed that have a higher affinity than cAMP for a binding site. N6-phenyl-cAMP had 18-fold increased affinity for site A of RI (AI) and 40-fold increased affinity for site AII. 2-chloro-8-methylamino-cAMP had a 7-fold increased affinity for BI, and 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cAMP had 17-fold increased affinity for BII. Analogs could discriminate between the two classes of binding sites by more than two orders of magnitude in binding affinity: 2-chloro-8-methylamino-cAMP had 170-fold higher affinity for BI than for AI, and 2-n-butyl-8-thiobenzyl-cAMP had 700-fold higher affinity for BII than for AII. Analogs could also discriminate between the homologous binding sites of the isozymes: 2-n-butyl-8-bromo-cAMP had 260-fold higher affinity for AI than for AII (22-fold higher for BII than BI), and 8-piperidino-cAMP had 50-fold higher affinity for BII than for BI (and 50-fold higher for AI than for AII). The data suggest the following conclusions. (a) Stacking interactions are important for the binding of cAMP to all the binding sites. (b) Subtle differences exist between the sites as to the optimal electron distribution in the adenine ring since modifications that withdraw electrons at C2 and donate at C8 favour binding to BI, and disfavour binding to AI and AII. (c) There are no hydrogen bonds between the adenine ring of cAMP and any of the binding sites. (d) All sites bind cAMP in the syn conformation. (e) The subsites adjacent to the N6 and C8 positions may have nonpolar neighbouring regions since hydrophobic substituents at N6 could increase the affinity for AI and AII and similar substituents at C8 could increase the affinity for BII. Finally, (f) the sites differed in their ability to accomodate bulky substituents at C2 and C8. For all compounds tested, their potency as activators of protein kinases I and II was found to correlate, in a predictable fashion, to their mean affinity for the two classes of binding sites, rather than to the affinity for only one of the sites.

Photoaffinity labeling of the allosteric AMP site of biodegradative threonine dehydratase of Escherichia coli with 8-azido-AMP

The photoreactive AMP analog, 8-azido-AMP, stimulated the activity of biodegradative threonine dehydratase of Escherichia coli in a reversible manner and, like AMP, decreased the Km for threonine. The concentrations required for half-maximal stimulation by AMP and 8-azido-AMP were 40 microM and 1.5 microM, respectively, and the maximum stimulation by 8-azido-AMP was 25% of that seen with AMP. Gel-filtration experiments revealed that 8-azido-AMP stabilized a dimeric form of the enzyme, whereas AMP promoted a tetrameric species. When present together, AMP and 8-azido-AMP showed mutual competition in influencing catalytic activity as well as the conformational state of the protein. Photolabeling of AMP-free dehydratase with 8-azido-[2-3H]AMP resulted in a time and concentration-dependent enzyme inactivation and concomitant incorporation of 8-azido-AMP into protein. At low 8-azido-AMP concentrations, incorporation of about 1 mol 8-azido-AMP/mol dehydratase tetramer was correlated with almost complete inactivation of the enzyme. The presence of AMP in the photolabeling reaction greatly reduced the extent of enzyme inactivation and 8-azido-AMP binding. Ultraviolet irradiation with 20 microM 3H-labeled 8-azido-AMP revealed one tryptic peptide, Thr230-Thr-Gly-Thr-Leu-Ala-Asp-Gly-Cys-Asp-Val-Ser-Arg242, with bound radioactivity. This peptide, labeled at low concentration of 8-azido-AMP, most likely represents the AMP-binding region on the dehydratase molecule.

Possible control of transcript levels by chlorophyll precursors in Chlamydomonas

Steady-state mRNA levels of the three nuclear genes cab1, rbcS1 and rbcS2 (coding for the light-harvesting chlorophyll-binding protein (LHCP) and the small subunit of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase, respectively) and of the two plastid-encoded genes rbcL and psaA2 (coding for the large subunit of the carboxylase and a member of the P700 chlorophyll a protein, respectively) have been investigated in synchronized Chlamydomonas cells in response to light and inhibitors interfering with chlorophyll synthesis. The accumulation of cab1, rbcS1 and psaA2 transcripts is light-dependent, whereas transcripts from rbcS2 and rbcL genes are present in high amounts in the light and in the dark. Dioxoheptanoic acid, an inhibitor blocking chlorophyll synthesis prior to porphyrin formation, does not affect the accumulation of all five mRNAs. However, inhibition of chlorophyll synthesis by incubating cells with dipyridyl, cycloheximide or nitrogen promotes the accumulation of porphyrin compounds, but specifically prevents the accumulation of light-dependent transcripts. Although functionally unrelated, these inhibitors are known to block an Fe-dependent oxygenase, which is involved in the formation of the isocyclic ring in the chlorophyll molecule. The data are explained as a control by chlorophyll precursors over the accumulation of light-dependent transcripts.

Influence of the bound nucleotide on the molecular dynamics of actin

Rotational dynamics of actin spin-labelled with maleimide probes at the reactive thiol Cys-374 were studied. Replacement of the bound nucleotide by Br8ATP in G-actin and Br8ADP in F-actin causes significant increase of the rotational correlation time of the spin probe, indicating reduced motion in both G and F-actin. The orientation dependence of the electron paramagnetic resonance spectra in oriented F-actin filaments revealed an altered molecular order of the probe when the nucleotide was a Br-substituted one. The bound nucleotide affects the myosin S1 ATPase activation by actin; both Vmax and K(actin) decreased significantly when the bound nucleotide of actin was Br8ADP.

Covalent modification of Escherichia coli ADPglucose synthetase with 8-azido substrate analogs

Two photoaffinity labeling agents, 8-azido-ATP and 8-azido-ADPglucose, are substrate site specific probes of the Escherichia coli ADPglucose synthetase. In the presence of light (254 nm), the analogs specifically and covalently modify the enzyme with concomitant loss of catalytic activity. The substrate ADPglucose completely protects the enzyme from covalent modification by these 8-azido analogs. ATP, another substrate, also provides nearly 100% protection from 8-azido-ATP inactivation but is less efficient in protection of inactivation by 8-azido-ADPglucose. In the absence of light, however, ADPglucose synthetase can utilize either 8-azido-ATP or 8-azido-ADPglucose as substrates.

Tautomerism of 2-azidoadenine nucleotides. Effects on enzyme kinetics and photoaffinity labeling

The 2-azidoadenine nucleotides show promise as photoaffinity probes. Substitution at the C-2 position should favor an anti conformation and enable binding of the analogue to enzyme sites which exhibit low affinity for the 8-azidoadenine derivatives. The 2-azidoadenine nucleotides were found to be substrates for pyruvate kinase, phosphofructokinase, adenylate kinase, hexokinase and the mitochondrial F1-ATPase. However, tautomerism of 2-azidoadenine nucleotides to two nonphotoreactive tetrazole forms complicates kinetic analyses and their use as photoaffinity probes. An analysis of the ultraviolet spectra of these analogues enables an estimation of the tetrazolo isomer content and the rates of tautomerization. The photoreactive azido isomer was found to represent only 45% of the total analogue population in neutral aqueous solution. The azidoazomethine-tetrazole equilibrium favors the azido isomer in acidic or nonpolar solutions. The first-order rate constants at 25 degrees C were determined to be 0.017 min-1 and 0.021 min-1 for tautomerism to the azido and tetrazolo isomers, respectively. Prior equilibration of the probe in various solvents thus allows investigation of the analogue's behavior with an enzyme system at different, essentially fixed, isomer ratios. The determination of the impact of the tetrazolo tautomers on the system allows optimization of conditions for photoaffinity-labeling experiments.

ATP analog specificity of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, cGMP-dependent protein kinase, and phosphorylase kinase

The ATP analog specificities of the homogeneous cGMP-dependent protein kinase and the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase have been compared by the ability of 27 analogs to compete with ATP in the protein kinase reaction. Although the data suggest general similarities between the ATP sites of the two homologous cyclic-nucleotide-dependent protein kinases, specific differences especially in the adenine binding pocket are indicated. These differences in affinity suggest potentially useful ATP analog inhibitors of each kinase. For example, apparent autophosphorylation of the purified regulatory subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase is blocked by nebularin triphosphate, suggesting that the phosphorylation is catalyzed by trace contamination of cGMP-dependent protein kinase. Some of the ATP analogs have also been tested using phosphorylase b kinase in order to compare this enzyme with the cyclic-nucleotide-dependent enzymes. All three protein kinases have high specificity for the purine moiety of ATP, and lower specificity for the ribose or triphosphate. The similarity between the ATP site of phosphorylase b kinase to that of the cyclic-nucleotide-dependent protein kinases suggests that it is related to them. The ATP analog specificities of enzymes examined in this study are different from those reported for several unrelated ATP-utilizing enzymes.

Synthesis and properties of CpG analogues containing an 8-bromoguanosine residue. Evidence for Z-RNA duplex formation

Three dinucleoside monophosphates containing 8-bromoguanosine (br8G), (2'-5')C-br8G, (3'-5')C-br8G, and dC-br8G, were synthesized and characterized by UV absorption, CD, and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The 1H NMR data show that all the br8G residues in these dimers take a syn glycosidic conformation. At low dimer strand concentration (5 X 10(-5) M), the UV hypochromicity data suggest that the degree of base stacking decreases in the following order, (2'-5')C-br8G greater than C-G approximately equal to dC-br8G greater than (3'-5')C-br8G. The CD data also suggest little stacking in (3'-5')C-br8G. At high dimer strand concentration (5 X 10(-3) M), only (3'-5')C-br8G shows duplex formation in 0.1 M NaCl. The duplex is assumed to take a left-handed helical structure similar to that of Z-DNA. The Tm of this duplex is surprisingly high for a dimer (about 35 and 45 degrees C at 5 X 10(-3) and 10(-2) M dimer strand concentration, respectively). The above results and the similarity between the CD spectra of (3'-5')C-br8G and poly(G-C) suggest the possible existence of Z-form structure in ribooligo- and ribopolynucleotides with alternating purine-pyrimidine sequences.

Effect of cyclic nucleotide analogs on intrachain site I of protein kinase isozymes

The effects of numerous cAMP analogs present in the [3H]cAMP binding reaction on subsequent dissociation of [3H]cAMP from the regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase I and II were analyzed. Certain analogs with modification at either C-8 or C-2 showed relative selectivity for one (site 1) of two intrachain cAMP binding sites of both isozymes. Modification at C-6 caused selectivity for the second site (site 2). The combination of a site-1-directed and site-2-directed analog inhibited [3H]cAMP binding much more than did either analog alone. In general, there was a correlation between the site 1 selectivity and the ability of the analog to stimulate the binding of [3H]cIMP, which selects site 2. The site-1-directed analogs stimulated the initial rate of [3H]cIMP binding. The stimulatory effect was enhanced in the presence of a polycationic protein such as histone and was inhibited by high ionic strength. The type I and II isozymes exhibited large differences in analog specificity for this effect. For type I, of the analogs tested the most efficacious for stimulating [3H]cIMP binding were those containing a nitrogen atom attached to C-8, 8-aminobutylamino-cAMP being the most effective. Type II responded best to analogs containing a sulfur atom attached to C-8, 8-SH-cAMP being the most effective of those tested. The stimulatory effect was accentuated in the presence of MgATP when using type I, but this nucleotide had no effect when using type II. It is proposed that in intact tissues cAMP binding to site 1 of either isozyme stimulates the binding to site 2.

Optical activity and electronic absorption spectra of some simple nucleosides related to cytidine and uridine: all-valence-shell molecular orbital calculations

The circular dichroism and electronic absorption of three simple model systems for cytidine and uridine have been measured to 190 nm. The molecular spectral properties (excitation wavelengths, oscillator strengths, rotational strengths, and polarization directions) and electronic transitional patterns were investigated by using wave functions of the entire nucleoside with the goal of establishing the reliability of the theoretical method. The computed electronic absorption quantities were shown to be in satisfactory agreement with experimental data. It was found that the computed optical rotatory strengths of the B2u and E1u electronic transitions and lowest observed n-pi transition are in good agreement with experimental values. Electronic transitions were characterized by their electronic transitional patterns derived from population analysis of the transition density matrix. The theoretical rotational strengths associated with the B2u and E1u transitions stabilize after the use of just a few singly excited configurations in the configuration interaction basis and, hypothetically, are more reliable as indicators of conformation in pyrimidine nucleosides related to cytidine.

Isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase from Baker's yeast. Action of ATP analogs in pyrophosphate exchange and aminoacylation, two pathways of the aminoacylation depending on concentration of pyrophosphate

The order of substrate addition to isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase from baker's yeast has been investigated by steady-state kinetics with inhibition by four different inhibiting ATP analogs acting competitively, uncompetitively and noncompetitively with respect to ATP, namely purineriboside (= nebularin), 3'-deoxy-adenosine (= cordycepin), 8-amino-adenosine and 8-azido-adenosine 5'-triphosphates. The inhibition studies were done in the aminoacylation and in the pyrophosphate exchange reaction, the aminoacylation was investigated in the absence and presence of inorganic pyrophosphatase. Additionally, bisubstrate kinetics and product inhibition studies were carried out. The inhibition patterns indicate a multisite system with a minimum number of two sites for each of the substrates. The results of the pyrophosphate exchange studies are consistent with formation of E . Ile-AMP . ATP . Ile complexes by random addition of one ATP and one isoleucine molecule, followed by adenylate formation, subsequent release of pyrophosphate and random addition of a second molecule of ATP and isoleucine. For the aminoacylation in the absence of pyrophosphatase an ordered ter-ter mechanism is postulated; in the presence of pyrophosphatase the mechanism is random bi-uni uni-bi ping-pong. Both the pyrophosphate and the analogs of this compound such as imidodiphosphate or methylenediphosphonate can induce the enzyme to act in the ter-ter mechanism.

The crystal and molecular structure of 8-methyladenosine 3'-monophosphate dihydrate

8-Methyladenosine 3'-monophosphate dihydrate was synthesized and crystallized in the monoclinic space group P21 with the unit cell dimensions: a = 9.095(2) A, b = 16.750(3) A, c = 5.405(2) A and beta = 97.61(3) degrees. The structure was determined by the application of the heavy atom method and refined to give a final R factor of 0.047. The pertinent conformations are as follows: the syn conformation about the glycosyl bond (chiCN = 216.8 degrees), the C(2')-endo sugar puckering with the displacement of 0.55 A; and the gauche-gauche conformation about the C(4')-C(5') bond capable of forming an intramolecular hydrogen bonding between N(3) of adenine base and O(5') of the hydroxymethylene group on the ribose. The molecule exists in the zwitterionic form with the N(1) of the adenine base protonated by a phosphate proton and is stabilized by three-dimensional networks of hydrogen bonding through the crystalline water molecules or directly between the adjacent nucleotide molecules; no base stacking was observed.

Carbon-13 nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectra of adenine cyclonucleosides and their phosphates. Effects of neighboring groups for elucidation of fine structure of nucleosides and nucleotides

Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of adenine cyclonucleosides, which have a fixed glycosidic conformation in an anti range, and their isopropylidene and phosphate esters are reported; those of 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine and its 5'-phosphate are also presented. The chemical shifts of the base carbons are affected not only by the bridging atom but also by the position of the bridged sugar carbon which determine the planarity of the third ring formed by cyclization between the base and the sugar. The effects of glycosidic conformation on the sugar-carbon chemical shifts are discussed by comparison of the data for 8:5'-cycloadenosines with the data for adenosine and its 8-substituted derivatives. The effects of a 2'-oxygen on sugar-carbon chemical shifts have been examined by comparing the data for 2'-deoxyadenosine, arabinosyladenine and 8:2'-anhydro-8-oxy-9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine. The effects of phosphomonoester groups on base and sugar carbon resonances have been examined and it is noted that these groups cause downfield shifts for C-8 of all cyclonucleotides. Data for the 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate derivative of 8:2'-anhydro-8-thio-9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine suggest that the previous assignments of C-4' and C-3' for nucleoside 3':5'-cyclic monophosphates must be reversed. According to the reversed assignments, it seems that C-3' and C-5' show moderate downfield shifts and C-4' shows a marked upfield shift.

Threonyl-tRNA, lysyl-tRNA and arginyl-tRNA synthetases from Baker's yeast. Substrate specificity with regard to ATP analogues

Sixteen analogues of ATP have been tested in the aminoacylation reaction of threonyl-tRNA, lysyl-tRNA, and arginyl-tRNA synthetases from baker's yeast. Two compounds are substrates for threonyl-tRNA and for lysyl-tRNA synthetases and five compounds for arginyl-tRNA synthetase. There are six inhibitors for threonyl-tRNA, nine for lysyl-tRNA, and six for arginyl-tRNA synthetase. Their Km and Ki values have been determined. Thus positions 2, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the purine moiety and 2' and 3' of the sugar moiety of the ATP molecule are important for catalytic action of these aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. Remarkably arginyl-tRNA synthetase is the first aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase which tolerates bulky substituents at the sugar moiety of ATP. These data fit with the idea that synthetases of subunit structure need magnesium-ion-ATP complexes with an anti conformation as substrates whereas single-chain enzymes accept this substrate in the syn conformation.

A purine nucleoside unequivocally constrained in the syn form. Crystal structure and conformation of 8-(alpha-hydroxyisopropyl)-adenosine

Crystals of 8-(alpha-hydroxyisopropyl)-adenosine dihydrate, C13H19N5O5.2H2O, belong to the monoclinic space group P21. Cell dimensions are a = 8.259 (1), b = 11.117 (2), c = 9.663 (1) A, beta = 109.65 (2) degrees. Intensity data were collected on a four-circle diffractometer and the structure was solved by direct methods. Block diagonal least-squares refinement led to R = 0.031 for 1467 reflections. The glycosyl torsion angle chiCN is 241.4 degrees, corresponding to a syn conformation. The conformation of the exocyclic C(4')-C(5') bond is gauche-gauche and the sugar pucker is C(2') endo. It is considered that the bulky, tetrahedral, neutral 8-substituent, with an effective van der Waals radius of 3.5--4.0 A, provides an adenosine analogue which should exhibit the syn conformation about the glycosidic bond in solution as well as in solid state, irrespective of the nature of the sugar pucker. It should therefore be suitable for studies of interactions with enzyme systems requiring the anti conformation of the nucleoside or nucleotide.

Molecular orbital studies on the conformations of 8-amino- and 8-dimethylaminoadenosine 5'-monophosphate

The quantum mechanical PCILO method has been applied for the determination of conformational properties of 8-amino- and 8-dimethylaminoadenosine 5'-monophosphate. Contrary to other 8-substituted nucleotides the amino derivative shows a preference for an anti arrangement about the glycosidic bond. This conformation is stabilized by an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the purine and the exocyclic group. 8-dimethylamino-adenosine-5'-monophosphate adopts the syn conformation with slightly rotated dimethylamino group. There is, however, a local minimum for the anti form associated with the unusual value of chiCN = 300 degrees. This minimum is probably populated when the nucleotide is bound to lactate dehydrogenase apoenzyme. No particularly strong interactions are necessary for the stabilization of the anti form. The computations account satisfactorily for the available experimental data.