Computer-assisted characterization of oligoribonucleotides by their ultraviolet absorption

Protonation of deoxycytidine residues in dC4 tetraloops: UV spectrophotometric study of dC10 and d(A14C4T14)

It is shown that component analysis could be applied to study the UV difference spectra of cytidine oligomers and hairpin oligonucleotides with cytidines in the loop region in order to account for the melting and titration results in terms of cytidine stacking and protonation. Upon acid titration, the dC(10) oligomer undergoes cooperative conformational transition at pH 6.3 accompanied by protonation and formation of the i-structure with half of the residues protonated. The stability of the hemiprotonated structure increases with decreasing pH, the i-structure persisting still in the region of pH<pK of cytidine. An UV difference spectrum that reflects the stacking/unstacking of hemiprotonated cytidine residues was acquired from the melting and titration experiments of the dC(10) oligomer and used to describe the behavior of the dC(4) loop of the hairpin oligonucleotide d(A(14)C(4)T(14)). It is shown that upon titration, the 50% level of protonation of the deoxycytidine tetraloop is attained at pH 5.0. Simultaneously, the stacking interactions of cytidine residues reach the maximum at this pH with two residues stacked, and thereafter decline again. Only marginal stabilization of the oligomer hairpin (DeltaT(m)=1.5 degrees C) is found to accompany the formation of this single hemiprotonated dC.dC(+) base pair. We propose that at pH 5 the cytidines of the dC(4) loop form a hemiprotonated dC.dC(+) pair stacked with the last dA.dT base pair of the hairpin stem.

Mineral catalysis of the formation of dimers of 5'-AMP in aqueous solution: the possible role of montmorillonite clays in the prebiotic synthesis of RNA

The reaction of the 5'-AMP with water soluble carbodiimide (EDAC) in the presence of Na+-montmorillonite 22A results in the formation of 2',5'-(pA)2 (18.9%), 3',5'-(pA)2 (11%), and AppA (4.8%). When poly(U) is used in place of the clay the product yields are 2',5'-(pA)2 (15.5%), 3',5'-(pA)2 (3.7%) and AppA (14.9%). The 3',5'-cyclic dinucleotide, 3',5'-c(pA)2, is also formed when poly(U) is used. AppA is the principal reaction product when neither clay nor poly(U) is present in the reaction mixture. Products which contain the phosphodiester bond are formed at different ionic strengths, pH and temperatures using Na+-montmorillonite. Phosphodiester bond formation was not observed when Cu2+-montmorillonite was used or when DISN was used in the place of EDAC. The extent catalysis of phosphodiester bond formation varied with the particular clay mineral used. Those Na+-clays which bind 5'-AMP more strongly are better catalysts. Cu2+-montmorillonite, which binds 5'-AMP strongly, exhibits no catalytic activity.

Mineral catalysis of the formation of the phosphodiester bond in aqueous solution: the possible role of montmorillonite clays

The binding of adenosine to Na(+)-montmorillonite 22A is greater than 5'-AMP, at neutral pH. Adenine derivatives bind more strongly to the clay than the corresponding uracil derivatives. These data are consistent with the protonation of the adenine by the acidic clay surface and a cationic binding of the protonated ring to the anionic clay surface. Other forces must be operative in the binding of uracil derivatives to the clay since the uracil ring system is not basic. The reaction of the 5'-AMP with water soluble carbodiimide in the presence of Na(+)-montmorillonite results in the formation of 2',5'-pApA (18.9%), 3',5'-pApA (11%), and AppA (4.8%). When poly(U) is used in place of the clay the product yields are 2',5'-pApA (15.5%), 3',5'-pApA (3.7%) and AppA (14.9%). The cyclic nucleotide, c(pA)2 is also formed when poly(U) is used. AppA is the principal reaction product when neither clay nor poly(U) is present in the reaction mixture. When 2'-deoxy-5'-AMP reacts with carbodiimide in the presence of Na(+)-montmorillonite 22A the products are dpApA (4.8%), dAppApA (4.5%) and dAppA (17.4%). Cyclic 3',5'-dAMP is the main product (14%) of the reaction of 2'-deoxy-3'-AMP.

[Preparative isolation of deoxyriboadenylic acids from hydrolysates of oxidized herring sperm DNA (author's transl)]

The preparative-scale chemical degradation of DNA from herring sperm to mixtures of purine oligonucleotides or deoxyriboadenylic acids is described. The deoxyriboadenylic acid mixture was separated into six fractions according to increasing ionic charge by column chromatography on QAE-Sephadex A-25. Of the first fraction, 75% was deoxyriboadenosine monophosphate; of the second, 99% consisted of a mixture of p(dA)2 and (dA)2p, while of the third 93% was pdAp. The remaining fractions contained more or less complex mixtures of longer-chain oligonucleotides which could be further separated by subsequent re-chromatography on QAE-Sephadex at pH 9.6. By application of paper chromatography to the fractions obtained from column chromatography, the pure nucleotide phosphates pdAp, p(dA)2p, p(dA)3p, p(dA)4p and the mixtures of sequence isomers p(dA)2, (dA)2p; p(dA)3, (dA)3p; and p(dA)6, (dA)6p could be isolated preparatively. The nucleotide phosphates were converted to (dA)2, (dA)3 or (dA)4 and the mixtures of sequence isomers to (dA)2, (dA)3 or (dA)6 by treatment with alkaline phosphatase. By this means dephosphorylated, paper chromatographically pure oligodeoxyriboadenylic acid may be obtained in a preparative scale from the hydrolysates. The structures of the nucleotides thus isolated were deduced from the absorbtion characteristics, the RF values and the results of enzymatic degradation.

Preparation, purification and analyses of thirteen alkali-stable dinucleotides from yeast ribonucleic acid

Of the 16 alkali-stable dinucleotides known to be obtained by hydrolysis of commercial yeast RNA with alkali, 13 were prepared in quantities of the order of 10mg or more. The samples, with only one exception, contain at least 90% of dinucleotide, and spectroscopic constants and nucleotide-sequence determinations, although not conclusive, indicate a high degree of purity of these products. The small dinucleotide fraction in 150g of RNA hydrolysed with alkali (1-2% of the total nucleotides) was separated from the mononucleotides by stepwise ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose columns and resolved into seven fractions containing from one to four different dinucleotides by electrophoresis on paper at pH3.0. These fractions were resolved into their constituent dinucleotides by chromatography in ammonium sulphate. Contamination of the products by impurities from the paper was minimized by washing it before using it for chromatography or electrophoresis and, by using a thick grade of paper (Whatman no. 17), it was possible to handle and purify relatively large quantities of nucleotides.