Selective Stabilization of Abasic Site-Containing DNA by Insertion of Sterically Demanding Biaryl Ligands

Ligands for Abasic Site-containing DNA and their Use as Fluorescent Probes

Apurinic and apyrimidinic sites, also referred to as abasic or AP sites, are residues of duplex DNA in which one DNA base is removed from a Watson-Crick base pair. They are formed during the enzymatic repair of DNA and offer binding sites for a variety of guest molecules. Specifically, the AP site may bind an appropriate ligand as a substitute for the missing nucleic base, thus stabilizing the abasic site-containing DNA (AP-DNA). Notably, ligands that bind selectively to abasic sites may be employed for analytical and therapeutical purposes. As a result, there is a search for structural features that establish a strong and selective association of a given ligand with the abasic position in DNA. Against this background, this review provides an overview of the different classes of ligands for abasic site-containing DNA (AP-DNA). This review covers covalently binding substrates, namely amine and oxyamine derivatives, as well as ligands that bind to AP-DNA by noncovalent association, as represented by small heterocyclic aromatic compounds, metal-organic complexes, macrocyclic cyclophanes, and intercalator-nucleobase conjugates. As the systematic development of fluorescent probes for AP-DNA has been somewhat neglected so far, this review article contains a survey of the available reports on the fluorimetric response of the ligand upon binding to the AP-DNA. Based on these data, this compilation shall present a perspective for future developments of fluorescent probes for AP-DNA.

Towards an understanding of the biological activity of naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids: DNA-binding properties of dioncophyllines A, B, and C

Dioncophylline A and B bind to duplex DNA in a half-intercalation binding mode and to abasic site-containing DNA by insertion.

Synthesis, DNA-binding and antiproliferative properties of diarylquinolizinium derivatives

A series of ten 2,7- and 2,8-diarylquinolizinium derivatives was synthesized and their DNA-binding and cytotoxic properties were investigated. Except for one nitro-substituted derivative all tested diarylquinolizinium ions bind to DNA with sufficient affinity (2 × 10⁴ M^-1-2 × 10⁵ M^-1). It was shown with photometric, fluorimetric and polarimetric titrations as well as with flow-LD analysis that the ligands bind mainly by intercalation to duplex DNA, however, depending on the ligand-DNA ratio, groove binding and backbone association were also observed with some derivatives. The biological activity was further investigated with tests of cytotoxicity and antiproliferative properties towards non-tumor cells and selected cancer cells, along with cell cycle analysis and an annexin-V assay. Notably, substrates that carry donor-functionalities in the 4-position of the phenyl substituents revealed a strong, and in some cases selective, antiproliferative activity as quantified by the growth inhibition, GI₅₀, at very low micromolar and even submicromolar level both in leukemia and solid tumors.

Fluorescent Oligonucleotide Probes for Screening High-Affinity Nucleobase Surrogates

Double-helical oligonucleotide probes featuring a single-nucleotide gap opposed by one of the canonical nucleobases and flanked by the fluorescent nucleobase analogue pyrrolocytosine have been synthesized and titrated with Pd^II chelates of dipicolinamide and its N² ,N⁶ -dialkylated derivatives. The fluorometric titrations revealed greatly increased affinity of the Pd^II chelates for the nucleobases opposing the gap compared to the respective free nucleotides in solution. Owing to the constrained environment of the single-nucleotide gap, the relative stabilities of the various Pd^II -mediated base pairs were also significantly different from those previously reported at monomer level.

Control of the DNA-Binding and Antiproliferative Properties of Hydroxybenzo[b]quinolizinium Derivatives with pH and Light

The interactions of 8-hydroxybenzo[b]quinolizinium and 9-hydroxybenzo[b]quinolizinium with DNA are investigated in detail. Specifically, spectrophotometric and spectrofluorimetric titrations, thermal DNA-denaturation experiments as well as CD- and LD-spectroscopic analysis show that a pH shift by just one or two orders of magnitude has a significant impact on the interactions of the acidic ligands with the nucleic acid. Both ligands bind with high affinity to DNA at pH 6 (K_b ≈10⁵  m^-1 ). At pH 7 or 8, however, the binding interactions are much weaker because of the formation of the corresponding charge-neutral conjugate bases, the affinity to DNA of which is reduced because of the resulting lack of a positive charge. Notably, the variation of DNA affinity occurs in a range that corresponds to the fluctuations of pH values under physiological conditions, so that these ligands may be employed to target DNA in tissue with particular pH values, especially, cancer cells. The antiproliferative activity of the title compounds under different conditions is also investigated. In the absence of irradiation, both compounds show only a modest cytotoxicity toward cancer cells. However, upon irradiation, even at low UV-A doses, a significant reduction of cell viability of tumor cell lines is induced by the ligands.

Comparative study of affinity and selectivity of ligands targeting abasic and mismatch sites in DNA using a fluorescence-melting assay

Recently, several families of small-molecule ligands have been developed to selectively target DNA pairing defects, such as abasic sites and mismatched base pairs, with the aim to interfere with the DNA repair and the template function of the DNA. However, the affinity and selectivity (with respect to well-matched DNA) of these ligands has barely been evaluated in a systematic way. Herein, we report a comparative study of binding affinity and selectivity of a representative panel of 16 ligands targeting abasic sites and a T-T mismatch in DNA, using a fluorescence-monitored melting assay. We demonstrate that bisintercalator-type macrocyclic ligands are characterized by moderate affinity but exceptionally high selectivity with respect to well-matched DNA, whereas other reported ligands show either modest selectivity or rather low affinity in identical conditions.

Photodependent Melting of Unmodified DNA Using a Photosensitive Intercalator: A New and Generic Tool for Photoreversible Assembly of DNA Nanostructures at Constant Temperature

External control of DNA melting and hybridization, a key step in bio- and DNA nanotechnology, is commonly achieved with temperature. The use of light to direct this process is a challenging alternative, which has been only possible with a DNA modification, such as covalent grafting or mismatch introduction, so far. Here we describe the first photocontrol of DNA melting that relies on the addition of a molecule that noncovalently interacts with unmodified DNA and affects its melting properties in a photoreversible and highly robust manner, without any prerequisite in the length or sequence of the target DNA molecule. We synthesize azobenzene-containing guanidinium derivatives and show that a bivalent molecule with a conformation-dependent binding mode, AzoDiGua, strongly increases the melting temperature (Tm) of DNA under dark conditions because its trans isomer intercalates in the DNA double helix. Upon UV irradiation at 365 nm, the trans-cis isomerization induced the ejection of AzoDiGua from the intercalation binding sites, resulting in a decrease in Tm up to 18 °C. This illumination-dependent Tm shift is observed on many types of DNA, from self-complementary single-stranded or double-stranded oligonucleotides to long genomic duplex DNA molecules. Finally, we show that simply adding AzoDiGua allows us to photoreversibly control the assembly/disassembly of a DNA nanostructure at constant temperature, as demonstrated here with a self-hybridized DNA hairpin. We anticipate that this strategy will be the key ingredient in a new and generic way of placing DNA-based bio- and nanotechnologies under dynamic control by light.

Shape-selective recognition of DNA abasic sites by metallohelices: inhibition of human AP endonuclease 1

Loss of a base in DNA leading to creation of an abasic (AP) site leaving a deoxyribose residue in the strand, is a frequent lesion that may occur spontaneously or under the action of various physical and chemical agents. Progress in the understanding of the chemistry and enzymology of abasic DNA largely relies upon the study of AP sites in synthetic duplexes. We report here on interactions of diastereomerically pure metallo-helical 'flexicate' complexes, bimetallic triple-stranded ferro-helicates [Fe2(NN-NN)3](4+) incorporating the common NN-NN bis(bidentate) helicand, with short DNA duplexes containing AP sites in different sequence contexts. The results show that the flexicates bind to AP sites in DNA duplexes in a shape-selective manner. They preferentially bind to AP sites flanked by purines on both sides and their binding is enhanced when a pyrimidine is placed in opposite orientation to the lesion. Notably, the Λ-enantiomer binds to all tested AP sites with higher affinity than the Δ-enantiomer. In addition, the binding of the flexicates to AP sites inhibits the activity of human AP endonuclease 1, which is as a valid anticancer drug target. Hence, this finding indicates the potential of utilizing well-defined metallo-helical complexes for cancer chemotherapy.

Efficient inhibition of human AP endonuclease 1 (APE1) via substrate masking by abasic site-binding macrocyclic ligands

Bis-naphthalene macrocycles bind to abasic sites in DNA, leading to efficient inhibition of their cleavage by human AP endonuclease 1 (APE1).