Requirement of β-alanine components in sequence-specific DNA alkylation by pyrrole–imidazole conjugates with seven-base pair recognition

Application of DNA-Alkylating Pyrrole-Imidazole Polyamides for Cancer Treatment

Pyrrole-imidazole (PI) polyamides, which target specific DNA sequences, have been studied as a class of DNA minor-groove-binding molecules. To investigate the potential of compounds for cancer treatment, PI polyamides were conjugated with DNA-alkylating agents, such as seco-CBI and chlorambucil. DNA-alkylating PI polyamides have attracted attention because of their sequence-specific alkylating activities, which contribute to reducing the severe side effects of current DNA-damaging drugs. Many of these types of conjugates have been developed as new candidates for anticancer drugs. Herein, we review recent progress into research on DNA-alkylating PI polyamides and their sequence-specific action on targets associated with cancer development.

Modulation of DNA-polyamide interaction by β-alanine substitutions: a study of positional effects on binding affinity, kinetics and thermodynamics

Hairpin polyamides (PAs) are an important class of sequence-specific DNA minor groove binders, and frequently employ a flexible motif, β-alanine (β), to reduce the molecular rigidity to maintain the DNA recognition register. To better understand the diverse effects that β can have on DNA-PA binding affinity, selectivity, and especially kinetics, which have rarely been reported, we have initiated a detailed study for an eight-heterocyclic hairpin PA and its β derivatives with their cognate and mutant sequences. With these derivatives, all internal pyrroles of the parent PA are systematically substituted with single or double βs. A set of complementary experiments have been conducted to evaluate the molecular interactions in detail: UV-melting, biosensor-surface plasmon resonance, circular dichroism and isothermal titration calorimetry. The β substitutions generally weaken the binding affinities of these PAs with cognate DNA, and have large and diverse influences on PA binding kinetics in a position- and number-dependent manner. The DNA base mutations have also shown positional effects on the binding of a single PA. Besides the β substitutions, the monocationic Dp group [3-(dimethylamino)propylamine] in parent PA has been modified into a dicationic Ta group (3,3'-diamino-N-methyldipropylamine) to minimize the frequently observed PA aggregation with ITC experiments. The results clearly show that the Ta modification not only maintains the DNA binding mode and affinity of PA, but also significantly reduces PA aggregation and allows the complete thermodynamic signature of eight-ring hairpin PA to be determined for the first time. This combined set of results significantly extends our understanding of the energetic basis of specific DNA recognition by PAs.

Promoter scanning of the human COX-2 gene with 8-ring polyamides: unexpected weakening of polyamide-DNA binding and selectivity by replacing an internal N-Me-pyrrole with β-alanine

Rules for polyamide-DNA recognition have proved invaluable for the design of sequence-selective DNA binding agents in cell-free systems. However, these rules are not fully transferrable to predicting activity in cells, tissues or animals, and additional refinements to our understanding of DNA recognition would help biomedical studies. Similar complexities are encountered when using internal β-alanines as polyamide building blocks in place of N-methylpyrrole; β-alanines were introduced in polyamide designs to maintain good hydrogen bonding registry with the target DNA, especially for long polyamides or those with several GC bp (P.B. Dervan, A.R. Urbach, Essays Contemp. Chem. (2001) 327-339). Thus, to clarify important subtleties of molecular recognition, we studied the effects of replacing a single pyrrole with β-alanine in 8-ring polyamides designed against the Ets-1 transcription factor. Replacement of a single internal N-methylpyrrole with β-alanine to generate a β/Im pairing in two 8-ring polyamides causes a decrease in DNA binding affinity by two orders of magnitude and decreases DNA binding selectivity, contrary to expectations based on the literature. Measurements were made by fluorescence spectroscopy, quantitative DNA footprinting and surface plasmon resonance, with these vastly different techniques showing excellent agreement. Furthermore, results were validated for a range of DNA substrates from small hairpins to long dsDNA sequences. Docking studies helped show that β-alanine does not make efficient hydrophobic contacts with the rest of the polyamide or nearby DNA, in contrast to pyrrole. These results help refine design principles and expectations for polyamide-DNA recognition.

Synthesis of pyrrole-imidazole polyamide seco-1-chloromethyl-5-hydroxy-1,2-dihydro-3h-benz[e]indole conjugates with a vinyl linker recognizing a 7 bp DNA sequence

Convergent synthetic routes for N-methylpyrrole (P) and N-methylimidazole (I) seco-1-chloromethyl-5-hydroxy-1,2-dihydro-3H-benz[e]indole (CBI) conjugates with a vinyl linker were developed. New hairpin polyamide-seco-CBI conjugates, compounds 16-19, were synthesized, and their DNA sequence-specific alkylating activities were evaluated via high-resolution denaturing gel electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) product analysis. The new synthetic route for PI conjugates with a vinyl linker consisted of the introduction of a vinylpyrrole unit (8-11) into the C terminal of a PI polyamide synthesized by (fluorenylmethoxy)carbonyl solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), followed by liquid-phase coupling with seco-CBI. The yield of the conjugates was significantly improved compared with that of the method reported previously, which allows us to synthesize various substituted conjugates containing a vinyl linker. Conjugates 16-19 were designed to investigate the substituent effect of the vinyl linker, and conjugate 16S was synthesized to evaluate the reactivity between racemic and S enantiomers of the seco-CBI derivative. The results of high-resolution denaturing gel electrophoresis using 208 bp DNA fragments indicated that alkylation by compounds 16 and 17, in which the H of the vinyl linker of compound 16 was replaced with F, occurred predominantly at the A of the 5'-TTTGTCA-3' sequence at nanomolar concentrations. In clear contrast, compounds 18 and 19, which were methyl or Br derivatives of compound 16, did not exhibit any DNA alkylating activity. Moreover, HPLC product analysis using synthetic oligonucleotides demonstrated that alkylation occurred between the N3 of the adenine of the oligomer and the cyclopropane ring of 16S. Density functional calculation of substituted vinylpyrrole seco-CBI units indicated that methyl and Br substituents led to a significantly distorted geometry of the vinyl group with the pyrrole ring compared with H and F derivatives. Molecular modeling studies offered the additional information that steric hindrance reduced the DNA alkylating activity of these derivatives.

Fluorescence assay of polyamide-DNA interactions

Polyamides (PAs) are distamycin-type ligands of DNA that bind the minor groove and are capable of sequence selective recognition. This capability provides a viable route to their development as therapeutics. Presented here is a simple and convenient fluorescence assay for PA-DNA binding. PAs are titrated into a sample of a hairpin DNA featuring a TAMRA dye attached to an internal dU near the PA binding site. In a study of 6 PAs, PA binding leads to a steady reproducible decrease in fluorescence intensity that can be used to generate binding isotherms. The assay works equally well with both short (6- to 8-ring) and long (14-ring) PAs, and K(d) values ranging from approximately 1 nM to at least 140 nM were readily obtained using a simple monochromator or filter configuration. Competition assays provide a means to assessing possible dye interference, which can be negligible. The assay can also be used to determine PA extinction coefficients and to measure binding kinetics; thus, it is an accessible and versatile tool for the study of PA properties and PA-DNA interactions.

Evaluation of PI polyamide conjugates with eight-base pair recognition and improvement of the aqueous solubility by PEGylation

To investigate the effect of elongating base-pair (bp) recognition sequences, we synthesized N-methylpyrrole-N-methylimidazole (PI) polyamide conjugates with eight-bp recognition (3-5). The DNA alkylating activities of conjugates 3-5 were evaluated by high-resolution denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with a 208-bp DNA fragment. Conjugates 3-5 showed high alkylating activities at nanomolar concentrations. We then addressed the following issue about PI conjugates. Generally, PI polyamide conjugates hardly dissolve in aqueous solution. To improve the aqueous solubility, by the introduction of hydrophilic groups, we synthesized PI polyamide conjugates that were modified with a seco-CBI moiety (6-11). Conjugates 9-11 that were modified by methoxypolyethylene glycol (PEG) 750 acquired moderate solubility and stability in aqueous solution. In addition, conjugates 10 and 11 had high cytotoxicity against A549 and DU145.

Photocontrollable sequence-specific DNA alkylation by a pyrrole-imidazole polyamide seco-CBI conjugate

We designed and synthesized a Py-Im polyamide seco-CBI conjugate protected by a photocleavable group and demonstrated that it was selectively activated by UV irradiation both in vitro and in vivo. Sequence-specific alkylating Py-Im polyamides containing photolabile linkers may be useful for developing novel chemical- or enzyme-activated anticancer agents and may facilitate spatiotemporal control of gene expression.