Selective binding to AT sequences in DNA by an acridine-linked peptide containing the SPKK motif

A kinetic and structural investigation of DNA-based asymmetric catalysis using first-generation ligands

The recently developed concept of DNA-based asymmetric catalysis involves the transfer of chirality from the DNA double helix in reactions using a noncovalently bound catalyst. To date, two generations of DNA-based catalysts have been reported that differ in the design of the ligand for the metal. Herein we present a study of the first generation of DNA-based catalysts, which contain ligands comprising a metal-binding domain linked through a spacer to a 9-aminoacridine moiety. Particular emphasis has been placed on determining the effect of DNA on the structure of the Cu(II) complex and the catalyzed Diels-Alder reaction. The most important findings are that the role of DNA is limited to being a chiral scaffold; no rate acceleration was observed in the presence of DNA. Furthermore, the optimal DNA sequence for obtaining high enantioselectivities proved to contain alternating GC nucleotides. Finally, DNA has been shown to interact with the Cu(II) complex to give a chiral structure. Comparison with the second generation of DNA-based catalysts, which bear bipyridine-type ligands, revealed marked differences, which are believed to be related to the DNA microenvironment in which the catalyst resides and where the reaction takes place.

Tdd-4, a DNA transposon of Dictyostelium that encodes proteins similar to LTR retroelement integrases

Tdd-4 is the first DNA transposon to be isolated from Dictyostelium discoideum. This element was isolated by insertion into a target plasmid. Two classes of elements were identified which include a 3.8 kb version and a 3.4 kb deleted version. Sequence analysis reveals that the 145 bp inverted terminal repeats contain the 5'-TGellipsisCA-3' conserved terminal dinucleotides found in prokaryotic transposons and integrated LTR retroelement DNA sequences. Tdd-4 open reading frames are assembled by removal of six introns. Introns 1-5 conform to the GT-AG rule, whereas intron 6 appears to be an AT-AA intron. Also, intron 6 undergoes an alternative 5' splicing reaction. The alternatively spliced region encodes 15 tandem SPXX repeats that are proposed to function as a DNA binding motif. By analogy to other transposons that encode two proteins from the same gene, the full-length Tdd-4 protein is the putative transposase and the truncated Tdd-4 protein is the putative transposition inhibitor. Protein database searches demonstrate Tdd-4 encoded proteins are unique for a DNA element by containing similarities to retroviral/retrotransposon integrases. The putative Tdd-4 transposase contains the same structural relationship as integrases by possessing an N-terminal HHCC motif, a central DDE motif and a C-terminal DNA-binding domain composed of the SPXX motif.

Structural modification of DNA by a DNA-binding motif SPKK: detection of changes in base-pair hydrogen bonding and base stacking by UV resonance Raman spectroscopy

Interactions of a DNA-binding motif SPKK with polynucleotides have been investigated by uv resonance Raman spectroscopy. Analysis of the Raman spectra has shown that the tetrapeptide SPKK weakens the adenine-thymine base-pair hydrogen bonding in poly(dA-dT).poly(dA-dT) and reduces the adenine-adenine base stacking interactions in poly(dA).poly(dT), both effects being indicative of destabilization of the DNA double helical structure. On the other hand, poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) and poly(dG).poly(dC) do not show any structural change in the presence of SPKK. The present observations confirm that the SPKK motif, which is frequently found in histone H1 proteins, specifically binds to A/T-rich regions of DNA and loosens the DNA double-helical structure. One of the roles of the SPKK motifs in histones may be to increase DNA flexibility so that DNA can wrap around core histones and be assembled into chromosomes more easily.

Interaction of two peptide-acridine conjugates containing the SPKK peptide motif with DNA and chromatin

The interaction between DNA and two peptide-acridine conjugates containing one (1) or two (2) moieties of the Ser-Pro-Lys-Lys (SPKK) minor groove-binding peptide motif has been studied by a combination of hydrodynamic, biochemical and spectroscopic methods including diffusion-enhanced luminescence energy transfer (DELET) measurements with a Tb(III) lanthanide chelate as donor. Viscometric titrations do not reveal any significant difference between the two hybrid molecules which both unwind (by about 15 degrees) and extend the DNA similarly. DELET measurements show that the acridinyl chromophore of compounds 1 and 2 is much more accessible than that of a simple monointercalating drug such as acridine orange or ethidium. The accessibility factor increases proportionally with the peptide length, reflecting the extent of perturbation imposed upon the intercalating chromophore by the binding to DNA of the peptide moiety of the hybrids. Experiments with the osmium tetroxide-bispyridine reagent indicate that the two hybrid compounds both affect the local conformation of DNA rendering certain thymine residues conspicuously accessible to the probe. The drug-induced sites of hyperreactivity towards OsO4 in DNA are very similar with the exception of a short run of three T residues which is attacked more strongly in the presence of tetrapeptide-acridine conjugate 1 than with the octapeptide-acridine conjugate 2. These results are fully in agreement with previous footprinting studies and support the view that a minimum of two SPKK motifs is required to mimic the AT-specific minor groove binding antibiotic netropsin. On the basis of the DNA-binding properties of these two peptide-acridine hybrids, we present DNA-binding models in which the acridinyl moiety of compound 1 protrudes slightly outside the double helix but remains more or less parallel to the plane of the base-pairs. In contrast, with compound 2, where the octapeptide SPKKSPKK is bound to the minor groove, we postulate that the chromophore lies only partially overlapped with the base pairs in the intercalation site and, in addition, the heterocyclic chromophore is significantly tilted with respect to the double helix axis. Electric linear dichroism and DELET measurements with chromatin reveal that the presence of histone proteins affects the intercalative binding of compound 2 while it has practically no effect on the binding of compound 1.

A tandem repeat of the SPKK peptide motif induces psi-type DNA structures at alternating AT sequences

The interaction between a tandem repeat of the SPKK peptide motif and calf thymus DNA or several polynucleotides has been investigated by circular dichroism. The octapeptide SPKKSPKK does not induce any important changes in the CD spectra of the polynucleotides poly(dG).poly(dC), poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) and poly(dA).poly(dT) while the spectrum of calf thymus DNA is slightly modified. Binding of this basic peptide to the alternating copolymer poly(dA-dT).poly(dA-dT) results in a marked psi-type condensation in a manner similar to that induced by the entire C-terminal domain of histone H1.