One-electron oxidation of individual DNA bases and DNA base stacks

One-electron oxidation of ds(5'-GGG-3') and ds(5'-G(8OG)G-3') and the nature of hole distribution: a density functional theory (DFT) study

Of particular interest in radiation-induced charge transfer processes in DNA is the extent of hole localization immediately after ionization and subsequent relaxation. To address this, we considered double stranded oligomers containing guanine (G) and 8-oxoguanine (8OG), i.e., ds(5'-GGG-3') and ds(5'-G8OGG-3') in B-DNA conformation. Using DFT, we calculated a variety of properties, viz., vertical and adiabatic ionization potentials, spin density distributions in oxidized stacks, solvent and solute reorganization energies and one-electron oxidation potential (E0) in the aqueous phase. Calculations for the vertical state of the -GGG- cation radical showed that the spin was found mainly (67%) on the middle G. However, upon relaxation to the adiabatic -GGG- cation radical, the spin localized (96%) on the 5'-G, as observed in experiments. Hole localizations on the middle G and 3'-G were higher in energy by 0.5 kcal mol-1 and 0.4 kcal mol-1, respectively, than that of 5'-G. In the -G8OGG- cation radical, the spin localized only on the 8OG in both vertical and adiabatic states. The calculated vertical ionization potentials of -GGG- and -G8OGG- stacks were found to be lower than that of the vertical ionization potential of a single G in DNA. The calculated E0 values of -GGG- and -G8OGG- stacks are 1.15 and 0.90 V, respectively, which owing to stacking effects are substantially lower than the corresponding experimental E0 values of their monomers (1.49 and 1.18 V, respectively). SOMO to HOMO level switching is observed in these oxidized stacks. Consequently, our calculations predict that local double oxidations in DNA will form triplet diradical states, which are especially significant for high LET radiations.

SOMO-HOMO Level Inversion in Biologically Important Radicals

Conventionally, the singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) of a radical species is considered to be the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), but this is not the case always. In this study, we considered a number of radicals from smallest diatomic anion radicals such as superoxide anion radical to one-electron oxidized DNA related base radicals that show the SOMO is energetically lower than one or more doubly occupied molecular orbitals (MOs) (SOMO–HOMO level inversion). The electronic configurations are calculated employing the B3LYP/6-31++G** method, with the inclusion of aqueous phase via the integral equation formalism of the polarized continuum model solvation model. From the extensive study of the electronic configurations of radicals produced by one-electron oxidation or reduction of natural-DNA bases, bromine-, sulfur-, selenium-, and aza-substituted DNA bases, as well as 20 diatomic molecules, we highlight the following important findings: (i) SOMO–HOMO level inversion is a common phenomenon in radical species. (ii) The more localized spin density in σ-orbital on a single atom (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, or selenium), the greater the gap between HOMO and SOMO. (iii) In species with SOMO–HOMO level inversion, one-electron oxidation takes place from HOMO not from the SOMO, which produces a molecule in its triplet ground state. Oxidation of aqueous superoxide anion producing triplet molecular oxygen is one example of many. (iv) These results are for conventional radicals and in contrast with those reported for distonic radical anions in which SOMO–HOMO gaps are smaller for more localized radicals and the orbital inversions vanish in water. Our findings yield new insights into the properties of free radical systems.

Formation of S-Cl phosphorothioate adduct radicals in dsDNA S-oligomers: hole transfer to guanine vs disulfide anion radical formation

In phosphorothioate-containing dsDNA oligomers (S-oligomers), one of the two nonbridging oxygen atoms in the phosphate moiety of the sugar-phosphate backbone is replaced by sulfur. In this work, electron spin resonance (ESR) studies of one-electron oxidation of several S-oligomers by Cl2(•-) at low temperatures are performed. Electrophilic addition of Cl2(•-) to phosphorothioate with elimination of Cl(-) leads to the formation of a two-center three-electron σ(2)σ*(1)-bonded adduct radical (-P-S-̇Cl). In AT S-oligomers with multiple phosphorothioates, i.e., d[ATATAsTsAsT]2, -P-S-̇Cl reacts with a neighboring phosphorothioate to form the σ(2)σ*(1)-bonded disulfide anion radical ([-P-S-̇S-P-](-)). With AT S-oligomers with a single phosphorothioate, i.e., d[ATTTAsAAT]2, reduced levels of conversion of -P-S-̇Cl to [-P-S-̇S-P-](-) are found. For guanine-containing S-oligomers containing one phosphorothioate, -P-S-̇Cl results in one-electron oxidation of guanine base but not of A, C, or T, thereby leading to selective hole transfer to G. The redox potential of -P-S-̇Cl is thus higher than that of G but is lower than those of A, C, and T. Spectral assignments to -P-S-̇Cl and [-P-S-̇S-P-](-) are based on reaction of Cl2(•-) with the model compound diisopropyl phosphorothioate. The results found for d[TGCGsCsGCGCA]2 suggest that [-P-S-̇S-P-](-) undergoes electron transfer to the one-electron-oxidized G, healing the base but producing a cyclic disulfide-bonded backbone with a substantial bond strength (50 kcal/mol). Formation of -P-S-̇Cl and its conversion to [-P-S-̇S-P-](-) are found to be unaffected by O2, and this is supported by the theoretically calculated electron affinities and reduction potentials of [-P-S-S-P-] and O2.

Hydroxyl ion addition to one-electron oxidized thymine: unimolecular interconversion of C5 to C6 OH-adducts

In this work, addition of OH(-) to one-electron oxidized thymidine (dThd) and thymine nucleotides in basic aqueous glasses is investigated. At pHs ca. 9-10 where the thymine base is largely deprotonated at N3, one-electron oxidation of the thymine base by Cl(2)(•-) at ca. 155 K results in formation of a neutral thyminyl radical, T(-H)·. Assignment to T(-H)· is confirmed by employing (15)N substituted 5'-TMP. At pH ≥ ca. 11.5, formation of the 5-hydroxythymin-6-yl radical, T(5OH)·, is identified as a metastable intermediate produced by OH(-) addition to T(-H)· at C5 at ca. 155 K. Upon further annealing to ca. 170 K, T(5OH)· readily converts to the 6-hydroxythymin-5-yl radical, T(6OH)·. One-electron oxidation of N3-methyl-thymidine (N3-Me-dThd) by Cl(2)(•-) at ca. 155 K produces the cation radical (N3-Me-dThd(•+)) for which we find a pH dependent competition between deprotonation from the methyl group at C5 and addition of OH(-) to C5. At pH 7, the 5-methyl deprotonated species is found; however, at pH ca. 9, N3-Me-dThd(•+) produces T(5OH)· that on annealing up to 180 K forms T(6OH)·. Through use of deuterium substitution at C5' and on the thymine base, that is, specifically employing [5',5"-D,D]-5'-dThd, [5',5"-D,D]-5'-TMP, [CD(3)]-dThd and [CD(3),6D]-dThd, we find unequivocal evidence for T(5OH)· formation and its conversion to T(6OH)·. The addition of OH(-) to the C5 position in T(-H)· and N3-Me-dThd(•+) is governed by spin and charge localization. DFT calculations predict that the conversion of the "reducing" T(5OH)· to the "oxidizing" T(6OH)· occurs by a unimolecular OH group transfer from C5 to C6 in the thymine base. The T(5OH)· to T(6OH)· conversion is found to occur more readily for deprotonated dThd and its nucleotides than for N3-Me-dThd. In agreement, calculations predict that the deprotonated thymine base has a lower energy barrier (ca. 6 kcal/mol) for OH transfer than its corresponding N3-protonated thymine base (14 kcal/mol).

Theoretical study on steric effects of DNA phosphorothioation: B-helical destabilization in Rp-phosphorothioated DNA

Phosphorothioation, with sulfur replacing a nonbridging oxygen of phosphate, has surfaced in bacterial DNA electrophoresis. To understand structural characteristics of the thio-substituted DNA, we have investigated the correlation between the relative energy of phosphate/phosphorothioate linkage and the backbone torsions. The relative energies (R.E.) computed by the quantum mechanical method, the PBE1PBE(CPCM, solvent=water)//PBE1PBE/6-31+G(2df) level of theory, were used to construct energy-scoring functions against backbone torsion variables, resulting in the squared correlation coefficients r(2) of 0.90-0.95. Then, the DNA energy alteration by phosphorothioation is estimated with the relative energy difference (ΔR.E.) between phosphate and phosphorothioate of the phosphate linkages in the DNA crystallographic database (NDB). As a result, Rp-phosphorothioation shifts the relative energy of B-helical structures by 2.7 ± 3.4 kcal/mol, destabilizing about 95% linkages, while Sp-phosphorothioation by -1.4 ± 2.4 kcal/mol, stabilizing over 84% linkages in the data sets. The B-helical destabilization is likely caused by the steric effect between the sulfur atom of Rp-phosphorothioate and the neighboring C-H groups of deoxyribose on the groove wall in B-helix. The unfavorable interaction may be magnified by the increasing rigidness of P-O-involving backbone torsions α and ζ upon the nonbridging phosphorothioations. Since B-helix is the most prevalent DNA double-helical structure and Rp-phosphorothioation is the exclusive configuration in bacteria thio-DNA found to date, the observed stereospecificity-destabilization correlation may reflect a structure-function relationship of biological DNA-phosphorothiation.

Direct formation of the C5'-radical in the sugar-phosphate backbone of DNA by high-energy radiation

Neutral sugar radicals formed in DNA sugar-phosphate backbone are well-established as precursors of biologically important damage such as DNA strand scission and cross-linking. In this work, we present electron spin resonance (ESR) evidence showing that the sugar radical at C5' (C5'(•)) is one of the most abundant (ca. 30%) sugar radicals formed by γ- and Ar ion-beam irradiated hydrated DNA samples. Taking dimethyl phosphate as a model of sugar-phosphate backbone, ESR and theoretical (DFT) studies of γ-irradiated dimethyl phosphate were carried out. CH(3)OP(O(2)(-))OCH(2)(•) is formed via deprotonation from the methyl group of directly ionized dimethyl phosphate at 77 K. The formation of CH(3)OP(O(2)(-))OCH(2)(•) is independent of dimethyl phosphate concentration (neat or in aqueous solution) or pH. ESR spectra of C5'(•) found in DNA and of CH(3)OP(O(2)(-))OCH(2)(•) do not show an observable β-phosphorus hyperfine coupling (HFC). Furthermore, C5'(•) found in DNA does not show a significant C4'-H β-proton HFC. Applying the DFT/B3LYP/6-31G(d) method, a study of conformational dependence of the phosphorus HFC in CH(3)OP(O(2)(-))OCH(2)(•) shows that in its minimum energy conformation, CH(3)OP(O(2)(-))OCH(2)(•), has a negligible β-phosphorus HFC. On the basis of these results, the formation of radiation-induced C5'(•) is proposed to occur via a very rapid deprotonation from the directly ionized sugar-phosphate backbone, and the rate of this deprotonation must be faster than that of energetically downhill transfer of the unpaired spin (hole) from ionized sugar-phosphate backbone to the DNA bases. Moreover, C5'(•) in irradiated DNA is found to be in a conformation that does not exhibit β-proton or β-phosphorus HFCs.

Density functional theory studies of the extent of hole delocalization in one-electron oxidized adenine and guanine base stacks

This study investigates the extent of hole delocalization in one-electron oxidized adenine (A) and guanine (G) stacks and shows that new IR vibrational bands are predicted that are characteristic of hole delocalization within A-stacks. The geometries of A-stacks (A(i); i = 2-8) and G-stacks (GG and GGG) in their neutral and one-electron oxidized states were optimized with the bases in a B-DNA conformation using the M06-2X/6-31G* method. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) is localized on a single adenine in A-stacks and on a single guanine in GG and GGG stacks located at the 5'-site of the stack. On one-electron oxidation (removal of an electron from the HOMO of the neutral A- and G-stacks) a "hole" is created. Mulliken charge analysis shows that these "holes" are delocalized over two to three adenine bases in the A-stack. The calculated spin density distribution of A(i)(•+) (i = 2-8) also showed delocalization of the hole predominantly on two adenine bases, with some delocalization on a neighboring base. For GG and GGG radical cations, the hole was found to be localized on a single G in the stack. The calculated HFCCs of GG and GGG are in good agreement with the experiment. Further, from the vibrational frequency analysis, it was found that IR spectra of neutral and the corresponding one-electron oxidized adenine stacks are quite different. The IR spectra of A(2)(•+) has intense IR peaks between 900 and 1500 cm(-1) that are not present in the neutral A(2) stack. The presence of A(2)(•+) in the adenine stack has a characteristic intense peak at ~1100 cm(-1). Thus, IR and Raman spectroscopy has potential for monitoring the extent of hole delocalization in A stacks.

Photooxidation of nucleic acids on metal oxides: physico-chemical and astrobiological perspectives

Photocatalytic oxidation of nucleic acid components on aqueous metal oxides (TiO(2), α-FeOOH, and α-Fe(2)O(3)) has been studied. The oxidation of purine nucleotides results in the formation of the purine radical cations and sugar-phosphate radicals, whereas the oxidation of pyrimidine nucleotides other than thymine results in the oxidation of only the sugar-phosphate. The oxidation of the thymine (and to a far less extent for the 5-methylcytosine) derivatives results in deprotonation from the methyl group of the base. Some single stranded (ss) oligoribonucleotides and wild-type ss RNA were oxidized at purine sites. In contrast, double stranded (ds) oligoribonucleotides and DNA were not oxidized. These results account for observations suggesting that cellular ds DNA is not damaged by exposure to photoirradiated TiO(2) nanoparticles inserted into the cell, whereas ss RNA is extensively damaged. The astrobiological import of our observations is that the rapid degradation of monomer nucleotides make them poor targets as biosignatures, whereas duplex DNA is a better target as it is resilient to oxidative diagenesis. Another import of our studies is that ds DNA (as opposed to ss RNA) appears to be optimized to withstand oxidative stress both due to the advantageous polymer morphology and the subtle details of its radical chemistry. This peculiarity may account for the preference for DNA over RNA as a "molecule of life" provided that metal oxides served as the template for synthesis of polynucleotides, as suggested by Orgel and others.

Ionization of purine tautomers in nucleobases, nucleosides, and nucleotides: from the gas phase to the aqueous environment

We have simulated ionization of purine nucleic acid components in the gas phase and in a water environment. The vertical and adiabatic ionization processes were calculated at the PMP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level with the TDDFT method applied to obtain ionization from the deeper lying orbitals. The water environment was modeled via microsolvation approach and using a nonequilibrium polarizable continuum model. We have characterized a set of guanine tautomers and investigated nucleosides and nucleotides in different conformations. The results for guanine, i.e., the nucleic acid base with the lowest vertical ionization potential, were also compared to those for the other purine base, adenine. The main findings of our study are the following: (i) Guanine remains clearly the base with the lowest ionization energy even upon aqueous solvation. (ii) Water solvent has a strong effect on the ionization energetics of guanine and adenine and their derivatives; the vertical ionization potential (VIP) is lowered by about 1 eV for guanine while it is ∼1.5 eV higher in the nucleotides, overall resulting in similar VIPs for GMP(-), guanosine and guanine in water. (iii) Water efficiently screens the electrostatic interactions between nucleic acid components. Consequently, ionization in water always originates from the base unit of the nucleic acid and all the information about conformational state is lost in the ionization energetics. (iv) The energy splitting between ionization of the two least bound electrons increases upon solvation. (v) Tautomerism does not contribute to the width of the photoelectron spectra in water. (vi) The effect of specific short-range interactions with individual solvent molecules is negligible for purine bases, compared to the long-range dielectric effects of the aqueous medium.

Formation of aminyl radicals on electron attachment to AZT: abstraction from the sugar phosphate backbone versus one-electron oxidation of guanine

Employing electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, we have characterized the radicals formed in 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (3'-AZT) and in its 5'-analog 5'-azido-5'-deoxythymidine (5'-AZT) after electron attachment in gamma-irradiated aqueous (H(2)O or D(2)O) glassy (7.5 M LiCl) systems. ESR spectral studies and theoretical calculations show that the predominant site of electron capture in 3'-AZT and in 5'-AZT is at the azide group and not at the thymine moiety. The azide group in AZT is therefore more electron affinic than the most electron affinic DNA base, thymine. Electron attachment to 3'-AZT and 5'-AZT results in an unstable azide anion radical intermediate (RN(3)*(-)) that is too short-lived to be observed in our work even at 77 K. At 77 K, we observe the neutral aminyl radical (RNH*) after loss of N(2) from RN(3)*(-) followed by protonation of nitrene anion radical (RN*(-)) to give RNH*. The expected RN*(-) intermediate is not observed as protonation from water is complete at 77 K even under highly basic conditions. Formation of RND* in D(2)O solutions confirms water as the source of the NH proton in the RNH*. Our assignments to these radicals are aided by DFT calculations for hyperfine coupling constants that closely match the experimental values. On annealing to higher temperatures (ca. 160-170 K), RNH* undergoes bimolecular hydrogen abstraction reactions from the thymine methyl group and the sugar moiety resulting in the formation of the thymine allyl radical (UCH(2)*) and two sugar radicals, C3'* and C5'*. RNH* also results in one-electron oxidation of the guanine base in 3'-AZG. This work provides a potential mechanism for the reported radiosensitization effects of AZT.