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Du R, Teng Q, Xu S, Jiang M, Irmisch P, Wang ZG. Self-Assembly of Designed Peptides with DNA to Accelerate the DNA Strand Displacement Process for Dynamic Regulation of DNAzymes. ACS NANO 2023; 17:24753-24762. [PMID: 38061002 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c05124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Toehold-mediated DNA strand displacement (TMSD) is a powerful tool for controlling DNA-based molecular reactions and devices. However, the slow kinetics of TMSD reactions often limit their efficiency and practical applications. Inspired by the chemical structures of natural DNA-operating enzymes (e.g., helicase), we designed lysine-rich peptides to self-assemble with DNA-based systems. Our approach allows for accelerating the TMSD reactions, even during multiple displacement events, enhancing their overall efficiency and utility. We found that the acceleration is dependent on the peptide's sequence, length, and concentration as well as the length of the DNA toehold domain. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the peptides promote toehold binding between the double-stranded target and the single-stranded invader, thereby facilitating strand displacement. Furthermore, we integrated our approach into a horseradish peroxidase-mimicking DNAzyme, enabling the dynamic modulation of enzymatic functions on and off. We anticipate that the established acceleration of strand displacement reactions and the modulation of enzymatic activities offer enhanced functionality and control in the design of programmable DNA-based nanodevices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruikai Du
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Key Lab of Biomedical Materials of Natural Macromolecules (Ministry of Education), Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Qiao Teng
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Key Lab of Biomedical Materials of Natural Macromolecules (Ministry of Education), Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Shichao Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Key Lab of Biomedical Materials of Natural Macromolecules (Ministry of Education), Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Minquan Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Key Lab of Biomedical Materials of Natural Macromolecules (Ministry of Education), Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Patrick Irmisch
- Molecular Biophysics Group, Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, Universität Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Zhen-Gang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Key Lab of Biomedical Materials of Natural Macromolecules (Ministry of Education), Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
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Saran R, Piccolo KA, He Y, Kang Y, Huang PJJ, Wei C, Chen D, Dieckmann T, Liu J. Thioflavin T fluorescence and NMR spectroscopy suggesting a non-G-quadruplex structure for a sodium binding aptamer embedded in DNAzymes. CAN J CHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1139/cjc-2021-0024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Recently, a Na+-binding aptamer was reported to be embedded in a few RNA-cleaving DNAzymes, including NaA43, Ce13d, and NaH1. The Na+ aptamer consists of multiple GG stretches, which is a prerequisite for the formation of G-quadruplex (G4) structures. These DNAzymes require Na+ for activity but show no activity in the presence of K+ or other metal ions. Given that DNA can selectively bind K+ by forming a G4 structure, this work aims to answer whether this Na+ aptamer also uses a G4 to bind Na+. Through comparative ThT fluorescence spectrometry studies, while a control G4 DNA exhibited notable fluorescence enhancement up to 5 mM K+ with a Kd of 0.28 ± 0.06 mM, the Ce13d DNAzyme fluorescence was negligibly perturbed with similar concentrations of K+. Opposed to this, Ce13d displayed specific remarkable fluorescence decrease with low millimolar concentrations of Na+. NMR experiments at two different pH values suggest that Ce13d adopts a significantly different conformation or equilibrium of conformations in the presence of Na+ versus K+ and has a more stable structure in the presence of Na+. Additionally, absence of characteristic G4 peaks in one-dimensional 1H NMR suggest that G4 is not responsible for the Na+ binding. This hypothesis is confirmed by the absence of characteristic peaks in the CD spectra of this sequence. Therefore, we concluded that the aptamer must be selective for Na+ and that it binds Na+ using a structural element that does not contain G4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runjhun Saran
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
- Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Kyle A. Piccolo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Yanping He
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
- Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P.R. China
| | - Yongqiang Kang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Molecular Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, P.R. China
| | - Po-Jung Jimmy Huang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
- Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Chunying Wei
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Molecular Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, P.R. China
| | - Da Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P.R. China
| | - Thorsten Dieckmann
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Juewen Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
- Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
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Kan LS, Pasternack L, Wey MT, Tseng YY, Huang DH. The paperclip triplex: understanding the role of apex residues in tight turns. Biophys J 2006; 91:2552-63. [PMID: 16829568 PMCID: PMC1562401 DOI: 10.1529/biophysj.106.084137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we investigate the role of the apex nucleotides of the two turns found in the intramolecular "paperclip" type triplex DNA formed by 5'-TCTCTCCTCTCTAGAGAG-3'. Our previously published structure calculations show that residues C7-A18 form a hairpin turn via Watson-Crick basepairing and residues T1-C6 bind into the major groove of the hairpin via Hoogsteen basepairing resulting in a broad turn of the T1-T12 5'-pyrimidine section of the DNA. We find that only the C6C7/G18 apex triad (and not the T12A13/T1 apex triad) is required for intramolecular triplex formation, is base independent, and occurs whether the purine section is located at the 5' or 3' end of the sequence. NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate a bimolecular complex (which retains only the C6C7/G18 apex) in which a pyrimidine strand 5'- TCTCTCCTCTCT-3' makes a broad fold stabilized by the purine strand 5'-AGAGAG-3' via Watson Crick pairing to the T8-T12 and Hoogsteen basepairing to T1-T5 of the pyrimidine strand. Interestingly, this investigation shows that this 5'-AGAGAG-3' oligo acts as a new kind of triplex forming oligonucleotide, and adds to the growing number of triplex forming oligonucleotides that may prove useful as therapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lou-sing Kan
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan 11529
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Abstract
Stable DNA loop structures closed by a novel G.C base-pair have been determined for the single-residue d(GXC) loops (X=A, T, G or C) in low-salt solution by high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. The closing G.C base-pair in these loops is not of the canonical Watson-Crick type, but adopts instead a unique sheared-type (trans Watson-Crick/sugar-edge) pairing, like those occurring in the sheared mismatched G.A or A.C base-pair, to draw the two opposite strands together. The cytidine residue in the closing base-pair is transformed into the rare syn domain to form two H-bonds with the guanine base and to prevent the steric clash between the G 2NH(2) and the C H-5 protons. Besides, the sugar pucker of the syn cytidine is still located in the regular C2'-endo domain, unlike the C3'-endo domain adopted for the pyrimidines of the out-of-alternation left-handed Z-DNA structure. The facile formation of the compact d(GXC) loops closed by a unique sheared-type G(anti).C(syn) base-pair demonstrates the great potential of the single-stranded d(GXC) triplet repeats to fold into stable hairpins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ko-Hsin Chin
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC
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Chou SH, Chin KH. Quadruple intercalated G-6 stack: a possible motif in the fold-back structure of the Drosophila centromeric dodeca-satellite? J Mol Biol 2001; 314:139-52. [PMID: 11724539 DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.2001.5131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The purine-rich strand d(GTACGGGACCGA)(n) of the Drosophila centromeric dodeca-satellite sequence is highly conserved and was found to form stable fold-back structures in which the homopurine 5'-GGGA-3' sequence was determined to play a crucial role. Here, we report the stable formation of the d(GGGA)(2) motif in the stem of a DNA hairpin closed by a single-residue d(ACC) loop. Similar to the zipper-like d(GGA)(2) motif observed in the human centromeric (TGGAA)(n) sequence, the central four guanosine bases in the d(GGGA)(2) motif do not pair, but interdigitate to form an elongated zipper-like quadruple-intercalated G-6 stack bracketed by sheared G.A base-pairs. Comparison between the current d(GGGA)(2) structure and the published crystal d(GAAA)(2) structure implies that the alignment of the unpaired purine bases plays an important role in determining the minor groove width of the purine-rich d(GPuPuA)(2) motif. Similarity between the zipper-like motifs possibly present in the Drosophila centromeric dodeca-satellite sequence and in the human centromeric (TGGAA)(n) sequence led us to propose that these special zipper-like motifs may constitute common cores in organizing eukaryotic centromeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- S H Chou
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan.
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Abstract
A series of DNA heptadecamers containing the DNA analogues of RNA E-like 5'-d(GXA)/(AYG)-5' motifs (X/Y is complementary T/A, A/T, C/G, or G/C pair) were studied using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methodology and distance geometry (DG)/molecular dynamics (MD) approaches. Such oligomers reveal excellent resolution in NMR spectra and exhibit many unusual nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs) that allow for good characterization of an unusual zipper-like conformation with zipper-like Watson-Crick base-pairs; the potential canonical X.Y H-bonding is not present, and the central X/Y pairs are transformed instead into inter-strand stacks that are bracketed by sheared G.A base-pairs. Such phenomenal structural change is brought about mainly through two backbone torsional angle adjustments, i.e. delta from C2'-endo to C3'-endo for the sugar puckers of unpaired residues and gamma from gauche(+) to trans for the following 3'-adenosine residues. Such motifs are analogous to the previously studied (GGA)(2) motif presumably present in the human centromeric (TGGAA)(n) tandem repeat sequence. The novel zipper-like motifs are only 4-7 deg. C less stable than the (GGA)(2) motif, suggesting that inter-strand base stacking plays an important role in stabilizing unusual nucleic acid structures. The discovery that canonical Watson-Crick G.C or A.T hydrogen-bonded pairs can be transformed into stacking pairs greatly increases the repertoire for unusual nucleic acid structural motifs.
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Affiliation(s)
- S H Chou
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan.
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Chou SH, Tseng YY, Chu BY. Stable formation of a pyrimidine-rich loop hairpin in a cruciform promoter. J Mol Biol 1999; 292:309-20. [PMID: 10493877 DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.1999.3066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We have determined the solution structure of a TCC-loop hairpin in the cruciform promoter for the bacteriophage N4 virion RNA polymerase (N4 vRNAP). This hairpin and its complementary GGA-loop hairpin are extruded at physiological superhelical density and are required for vRNAP recognition. Contrary to its complementary GGA-loop, the three pyrimidines in the TCC-loop are all unpaired. However, with the help of two juxtaposed stem Watson-Crick G.C base-pairs, each nucleotide in the loop employs a special method to stabilize the hairpin structure. The resulting structures display extensive loop base-stacking rearrangement yet minor backbone distortion, which is largely accomplished through some loop zeta and alpha torsional angle changes. Consistent with the structural studies, UV melting of the GAAGCTCCGCTTC hairpin revealed a higher melting temperature (66 degrees C) than that of the GAACGTCCCGTTC hairpin (58 degrees C) with reversed stem G.C base-pairs, indicating significant contribution from the extra three loop-stem H-bonds. Thermodynamic parameters DeltaG degrees 25of the GAAGCTCCGCTTC hairpin and its complementary GAAGCGGAGCTTC hairpin are -4.1 and -4. 3 kcal/mol respectively, indicating approximately equal contribution of each hairpin to the cruciform formation of the N4 virion RNA polymerase promoter. No significant loop dynamics in the microsecond to millisecond NMR time-scale was observed, and the abundant well-defined exchangeable and non-exchangeable proton NOEs allowed us to efficiently determine a well-converged family for the final structures of the TCC-loop hairpin.
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Affiliation(s)
- S H Chou
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan.
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