1
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Tao YH, Schulke S, Schwaab G, Nealon GL, Pezzotti S, Hodgetts SI, Harvey AR, Havenith M, Wallace VP. Hydration water drives the self-assembly of guanosine monophosphate. Biophys J 2024; 123:931-939. [PMID: 38454599 PMCID: PMC11052693 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Guanosine monophosphate (GMP) is a nucleotide that can self-assemble in aqueous solution under certain conditions. An understanding of the process at the molecular level is an essential step to comprehend the involvement of DNA substructures in transcription and replication, as well as their relationship to genetic diseases such as cancer. We present the temperature-dependent terahertz (1.5-12 THz, 50-400 cm-1) absorptivity spectra of aqueous Na2 GMP solution in comparison with the aqueous solutions of other RNA nucleotides. Distinct absorption features were observed in the spectrum of GMP, which we attribute to the intramolecular modes of the self-assemblies (i.e., G-complexes) that, at 1 M, start to form at 313 K and below. Changes in broad-band features of the terahertz spectrum were also observed, which we associate with the release of hydration water in the temperature-dependent formation of guanine quadruplexes. Using a state-of-the-art THz calorimetry approach correlating spectroscopic to thermodynamic changes, we propose a molecular mechanism of hydrophilic hydration driving GMP self-assembly as a function of temperature. The free energy contribution of hydrophilic hydration is shown as a decisive factor in guanine-quadruplex formation. Our findings spotlight the role of hydration in the formation of macromolecular structures and suggest the potential of hydration tuning for regulating DNA transcription and replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Heng Tao
- Department of Physics, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Simon Schulke
- Department of Physical Chemistry II, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Gerhard Schwaab
- Department of Physical Chemistry II, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Gareth L Nealon
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia; Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Simone Pezzotti
- Department of Physical Chemistry II, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Stuart I Hodgetts
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia; Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Alan R Harvey
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia; Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Martina Havenith
- Department of Physical Chemistry II, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
| | - Vincent P Wallace
- Department of Physics, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
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2
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Hasoň S, Ostatná V, Fojt L, Fojta M. Arrangements of DNA purine bases on pyrolytic graphite electrode surface. Electrochemical characterization and atomic force microscopy imaging. Electrochim Acta 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2022.141772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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3
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Rieger M, Zacharias M. Nearest-Neighbor dsDNA Stability Analysis Using Alchemical Free-Energy Simulations. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:3640-3647. [PMID: 35549273 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c01138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The thermodynamic stability of double-stranded (ds)DNA depends on its sequence. It is influenced by the base pairing and stacking with neighboring bases along DNA molecules. Semiempirical schemes are available that allow us to predict the thermodynamic stability of DNA sequences based on empirically derived nearest-neighbor contributions of base pairs formed in the context of all possible nearest-neighbor base pairs. Current molecular dynamics (MD) simulations allow one to simulate the dynamics of DNA molecules in good agreement with experimentally obtained structures and available data on conformational flexibility. However, the suitability of current force field methods to reproduce dsDNA stability and its sequence dependence has been much less well tested. We have employed alchemical free-energy simulations of whole base pair transversions in dsDNA and in unbound single-stranded partner molecules. Such transversions change the sequence context but not the nucleotide content or base pairing in dsDNA and allow a direct comparison with the empirical nearest-neighbor dsDNA stability model. For the alchemical free-energy changes in the unbound single-stranded (ss)DNA partner molecules, we tested different setups assuming either complete unstacking or unrestrained simulations with partial stacking in the unbound ssDNA. The free-energy simulations predicted nearest-neighbor effects of similar magnitude, as observed experimentally but showed overall limited correlation with experimental data. An inaccurate description of stacking interactions and other possible reasons such as the neglect of electronic polarization effects are discussed. The results indicate the need to improve the realistic description of stacking interactions in current molecular mechanic force fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Rieger
- Physics Department and Center of Protein Assemblies, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Martin Zacharias
- Physics Department and Center of Protein Assemblies, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany
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4
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Moe MM, Benny J, Liu J. Collision-induced dissociation of homodimeric and heterodimeric radical cations of 9-methylguanine and 9-methyl-8-oxoguanine: correlation between intra-base pair proton transfer originating from the N1-H at a Watson-Crick edge and non-statistical dissociation. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:9263-9276. [PMID: 35403654 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp00312k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
It has been shown previously in protonated, deprotonated and ionized guanine-cytosine base pairs that intra-base pair proton transfer from the N1-H at the Watson-Crick edge of guanine to the complementary nucleobase prompts non-statistical dissociation of the base-pair system, and the dissociation of a proton-transferred base-pair structure is kinetically more favored than that of the starting, conventional base-pair structure. However, the fundamental chemistry underlying this anomalous and intriguing kinetics has not been completely revealed, which warrants the examination of more base-pair systems in different structural contexts in order to derive a generalized base-pair structure-kinetics correlation. The purpose of the present work is to expand the investigation to the non-canonical homodimeric and heterodimeric radical cations of 9-methylguanine (9MG) and 9-methyl-8-oxoguanine (9MOG), i.e., [9MG·9MG]˙+, [9MOG·9MG]˙+ and [9MOG·9MOG]˙+. Experimentally, collision-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry coupled with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source was used for the formation of base-pair radical cations, followed by detection of dissociation product ions and cross sections in the collisions with Xe gas under single ion-molecule collision conditions and as a function of the center-of-mass collision energy. Computationally, density functional theory and coupled cluster theory were used to calculate and identify probable base-pair structures and intra-base pair proton transfer and hydrogen transfer reactions, followed by kinetics modeling to explore the properties of dissociation transition states and kinetic factors. The significance of this work is twofold: it provides insight into base-pair opening kinetics in three biologically-important, non-canonical systems upon oxidative and ionization damage; and it links non-statistical dissociation to intra-base pair proton-transfer originating from the N1-H at the Watson-Crick edge of 8-oxoguanine, enhancing understanding towards the base-pair fragmentation assisted by proton transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- May Myat Moe
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Queens College of the City University of New York, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Queens, NY 11367, USA. .,Ph.D. Program in Chemistry, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 5th Ave., New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Jonathan Benny
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Queens College of the City University of New York, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Queens, NY 11367, USA. .,Ph.D. Program in Chemistry, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 5th Ave., New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Jianbo Liu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Queens College of the City University of New York, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Queens, NY 11367, USA. .,Ph.D. Program in Chemistry, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 5th Ave., New York, NY 10016, USA
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5
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Conquest OJ, Roman T, Marianov A, Kochubei A, Jiang Y, Stampfl C. Calculating Entropies of Large Molecules in Aqueous Phase. J Chem Theory Comput 2021; 17:7753-7771. [PMID: 34860016 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.1c00848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Entropy benchmarking of different sized molecules in aqueous phase is carried out for known solvation models, where we compare geometry and solvation cavity packing parameters, which allows us to improve the accuracy of the obtained entropy values using empirical corrections. A comparison of solvation entropy models is conducted for a benchmarking set of 56 molecules, showing how an accurate description of cavitation entropy and its hindrance on other entropy values is important for large-sized solute molecules. Finally, we compare reaction free energies with entropies calculated using the most accurate solvation model considered, where we demonstrate a significant improvement in the accuracy relative to experimental values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver J Conquest
- School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.,The University of Sydney Nano Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Tanglaw Roman
- School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.,The University of Sydney Nano Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.,Flinders Microscopy and Microanalysis, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia.,Flinders Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia
| | - Aleksei Marianov
- School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Alena Kochubei
- School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Yijao Jiang
- School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Catherine Stampfl
- School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.,The University of Sydney Nano Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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6
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Kaur S, Grover P, Wetmore SD, Sharma P. Role of Stacking Interactions in the Stability of Primitive Genetics: A Quantum Chemical View. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:4321-4330. [PMID: 34491053 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The origin of genetic material on earth is an age-old, entangled mystery that lacks a unanimous explanation. Recent studies have suggested that noncanonical bases such as barbituric acid (BA), melamine (MM), cyanuric acid (CA), and 2,4,6-triaminopyrimidine (TAP) may have undergone molecular selection within the "prebiotic soup" to spontaneously form supramolecular assemblies, which then covalently assembled into an RNA-like polymer (preRNA). However, information on the role of intrinsic interactions of these candidate heterocycles in their molecular selection as the components of preRNA, and the subsequent transition from preRNA to RNA, is currently missing in the literature. To fill this gap in our knowledge on the origin and evolution of primitive genetics, the present work employs density functional theory (B3LYP-D3) to evaluate and compare the stacking propensities of dimers containing prebiotic noncanonical (BA, MM, CA, and TAP) and/or canonical RNA bases (A, C, G, and U). Our detailed analysis of the variation in stacking strength with respect to four characteristic geometrical parameters between the monomers [i.e., the vertical distance, the angle of rotation, and (two) displacements in the x and y directions] reveals that stacking between nonidentical bases is preferred over identical bases for both prebiotic-prebiotic and canonical-canonical dimers. This not only underscores the similarity between the fundamental chemical properties of preRNA and RNA constituents but also supports the likelihood of the evolution of modern (RNA) genetics from primitive (preRNA) genetics. Furthermore, greater average stacking stabilization of canonical dimers than that of dimers containing one canonical and one preRNA nucleobase (by ∼5 kJ mol-1) or dimers solely containing preRNA nucleobases (by ∼12 kJ mol-1) indicates that enhanced stacking is an important factor that may have spurred the evolution of preRNA to an intermediate informational polymer to RNA. More importantly, our study identifies the central roles of CA, BA, and TAP in stacking stabilization within the preRNA and of BA in stacking interactions within the intermediate polymers and suggests that these heterocycles may have played distinct roles in various stages during the evolution from preRNA to RNA. Overall, our results highlight the significance of stacking interactions in the selection of nucleobase components of preRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarabjeet Kaur
- Computational Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and Centre for Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India
| | - Payal Grover
- Department of Chemistry, Dayanand Anglo-Vedic (DAV) College, Sector 10, Chandigarh 16011, India
| | - Stacey D Wetmore
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Purshotam Sharma
- Computational Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and Centre for Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India
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7
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Viader-Godoy X, Manosas M, Ritort F. Sugar-Pucker Force-Induced Transition in Single-Stranded DNA. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:4745. [PMID: 33947069 PMCID: PMC8124619 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The accurate knowledge of the elastic properties of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) is key to characterize the thermodynamics of molecular reactions that are studied by force spectroscopy methods where DNA is mechanically unfolded. Examples range from DNA hybridization, DNA ligand binding, DNA unwinding by helicases, etc. To date, ssDNA elasticity has been studied with different methods in molecules of varying sequence and contour length. A dispersion of results has been reported and the value of the persistence length has been found to be larger for shorter ssDNA molecules. We carried out pulling experiments with optical tweezers to characterize the elastic response of ssDNA over three orders of magnitude in length (60-14 k bases). By fitting the force-extension curves (FECs) to the Worm-Like Chain model we confirmed the above trend:the persistence length nearly doubles for the shortest molecule (60 b) with respect to the longest one (14 kb). We demonstrate that the observed trend is due to the different force regimes fitted for long and short molecules, which translates into two distinct elastic regimes at low and high forces. We interpret this behavior in terms of a force-induced sugar pucker conformational transition (C3'-endo to C2'-endo) upon pulling ssDNA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Manosas
- Small Biosystems Lab, Condensed Matter Physics Department, Universitat de Barcelona, Carrer de Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Felix Ritort
- Small Biosystems Lab, Condensed Matter Physics Department, Universitat de Barcelona, Carrer de Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain;
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8
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Beiranvand N, Freindorf M, Kraka E. Hydrogen Bonding in Natural and Unnatural Base Pairs-A Local Vibrational Mode Study. Molecules 2021; 26:2268. [PMID: 33919989 PMCID: PMC8071019 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26082268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this work hydrogen bonding in a diverse set of 36 unnatural and the three natural Watson Crick base pairs adenine (A)-thymine (T), adenine (A)-uracil (U) and guanine (G)-cytosine (C) was assessed utilizing local vibrational force constants derived from the local mode analysis, originally introduced by Konkoli and Cremer as a unique bond strength measure based on vibrational spectroscopy. The local mode analysis was complemented by the topological analysis of the electronic density and the natural bond orbital analysis. The most interesting findings of our study are that (i) hydrogen bonding in Watson Crick base pairs is not exceptionally strong and (ii) the N-H⋯N is the most favorable hydrogen bond in both unnatural and natural base pairs while O-H⋯N/O bonds are the less favorable in unnatural base pairs and not found at all in natural base pairs. In addition, the important role of non-classical C-H⋯N/O bonds for the stabilization of base pairs was revealed, especially the role of C-H⋯O bonds in Watson Crick base pairs. Hydrogen bonding in Watson Crick base pairs modeled in the DNA via a QM/MM approach showed that the DNA environment increases the strength of the central N-H⋯N bond and the C-H⋯O bonds, and at the same time decreases the strength of the N-H⋯O bond. However, the general trends observed in the gas phase calculations remain unchanged. The new methodology presented and tested in this work provides the bioengineering community with an efficient design tool to assess and predict the type and strength of hydrogen bonding in artificial base pairs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Elfi Kraka
- Computational and Theoretical Chemistry Group (CATCO), Department of Chemistry, Southern Methodist University, 3215 Daniel Ave, Dallas, TX 75275-0314, USA; (N.B.); (M.F.)
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9
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Zacharias M. Base-Pairing and Base-Stacking Contributions to Double-Stranded DNA Formation. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:10345-10352. [PMID: 33156627 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c07670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Double-stranded (ds)DNA formation and dissociation are of fundamental biological importance. The negative DNA charge influences the dsDNA stability. However, the base pairing and the stacking between neighboring bases are responsible for the sequence-dependent stability of dsDNA. The stability of a dsDNA molecule can be estimated from empirical nearest-neighbor models based on contributions assigned to base-pair steps along the DNA and additional parameters because of DNA termini. In efforts to separate contributions, it has been concluded that base stacking dominates dsDNA stability, whereas base pairing contributes negligibly. Using a different model for dsDNA formation, we reanalyze dsDNA stability contributions and conclude that base stacking contributes already at the level of separate ssDNAs but that pairing contributions drive the dsDNA formation. The theoretical model also predicts that stability contributions of base-pair steps that contain only guanine/cytosine, mixed steps, and steps with only adenine/thymine follow the order 6:5:4, respectively, as expected based on the formed hydrogen bonds. The model is fully consistent with the available stacking data and the nearest-neighbor dsDNA parameters. It allows assigning a narrowly distributed value for the effective free energy contribution per formed hydrogen bond during dsDNA formation of -0.72 kcal·mol-1 based entirely on the experimental data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Zacharias
- Physics Department T38, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany
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10
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Abstract
Base pairing plays a pivotal role in DNA functions and replication fidelity. But while the complementarity between Watson-Crick matched bases is generally believed to arise from the different number of hydrogen bonds in G|C pairs versus A|T, the energetics of these interactions are heavily renormalized by the aqueous solvent. Employing large-scale Monte Carlo simulations, we have extracted the solvent contribution to the free energy for canonical and some noncanonical and stacked base pairs. For all of them, the solvent's contribution to the base pairing free energy is exclusively destabilizing. While the direct hydrogen bonding interactions in the G|C pair is much stronger than A|T, the thermodynamic resistance produced by the solvent also pushes back much stronger against G|C compared to A|T, generating an only ∼1 kcal/mol free energy difference between them. We have profiled the density of water molecules in the solvent adjacent to the bases and observed a "freezing" behavior where waters are recruited into the gap between the bases to compensate for the unsatisfied hydrogen bonds between them. A very small number of water molecules that are associated with the Watson-Crick donor/acceptor atoms turn out to be responsible for the majority of the solvent's thermodynamic resistance to base pairing. The absence or presence of these near-field waters can be used to enhance fidelity during DNA replication.
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11
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Raczyńska ED, Kurpiewski J, Igielska M, Kamińska B. Quantitative description of bond lengths alternation for caffeine−effects of ionization, proton-transfer, and noncovalent interaction. COMPUT THEOR CHEM 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.comptc.2020.112811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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12
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Molecular dynamics simulations of G-quadruplexes: The basic principles and their application to folding and ligand binding. ANNUAL REPORTS IN MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.armc.2020.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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13
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Kruse H, Šponer J. Revisiting the Potential Energy Surface of the Stacked Cytosine Dimer: FNO-CCSD(T) Interaction Energies, SAPT Decompositions, and Benchmarking. J Phys Chem A 2019; 123:9209-9222. [PMID: 31560201 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.9b05940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Nucleobase stacking interactions are crucial for the stability of nucleic acids. This study investigates base stacking energies of the cytosine homodimer in different configurations, including intermolecular separation plots, detailed twist dependence, and displaced structures. Highly accurate ab initio quantum chemical single point energies using an energy function based on MP2 complete basis set extrapolation ([6 → 7]ZaPa-NR) and a CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ-F12 high-level correction are presented as new reference data, providing the most accurate stacking energies of nucleobase dimers currently available. Accurate SAPT2+(3)δMP2 energy decomposition is used to obtain detailed insights into the nature of base stacking interactions at varying vertical distances and twist values. The ab initio symmetry adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) energy decomposition suggests that the base stacking originates from an intricate interplay between dispersion attraction, short-range exchange-repulsion, and Coulomb interaction. The interpretation of the SAPT data is a complex issue as key energy terms vary substantially in the region of optimal (low energy) base stacking geometries. Thus, attempts to highlight one leading stabilizing SAPT base stacking term may be misleading and the outcome strongly depends on the used geometries within the range of geometries sampled in nucleic acids upon thermal fluctuations. Modern dispersion-corrected density functional theory (among them DSD-BLYP-D3, ωB97M-V, and ωB97M-D3BJ) is benchmarked and often reaches up to spectroscopic accuracy (below 1 kJ/mol). The classical AMBER force field is benchmarked with multiple different sets of point-charges (e.g. HF, DFT, and MP2-based) and is found to produce reasonable agreement with the benchmark data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holger Kruse
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Královopolská 135 , CZ-61265 Brno , Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Královopolská 135 , CZ-61265 Brno , Czech Republic.,Central European Institute of Technology , Masaryk University , Kamenice 753/5 , 62500 Brno , Czech Republic
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14
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Nasr MA, Dovbeshko GI, Bearne SL, El‐Badri N, Matta CF. Heat Shock Proteins in the “Hot” Mitochondrion: Identity and Putative Roles. Bioessays 2019; 41:e1900055. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.201900055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed A. Nasr
- Department of Chemistry and PhysicsMount Saint Vincent University Halifax Nova Scotia B3M 2J6 Canada
- Center of Excellence for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (CESC)Zewail City of Science and Technology 6th of October City 12588 Egypt
| | - Galina I. Dovbeshko
- Department of Physics of Biological SystemsInstitute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Prospekt Nauki 46 Kiev 03039 Ukraine
| | - Stephen L. Bearne
- Department of ChemistryDalhousie University Halifax Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 Canada
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyDalhousie University Halifax Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 Canada
| | - Nagwa El‐Badri
- Center of Excellence for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (CESC)Zewail City of Science and Technology 6th of October City 12588 Egypt
| | - Chérif F. Matta
- Department of Chemistry and PhysicsMount Saint Vincent University Halifax Nova Scotia B3M 2J6 Canada
- Department of ChemistryDalhousie University Halifax Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 Canada
- Department of ChemistrySaint Mary's University Halifax Nova Scotia B3H 3C3 Canada
- Département de chimieUniversité Laval Québec Québec G1V 0A6 Canada
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15
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Erlenbach N, Grünewald C, Krstic B, Heckel A, Prisner TF. "End-to-end" stacking of small dsRNA. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2019; 25:239-246. [PMID: 30404925 PMCID: PMC6348986 DOI: 10.1261/rna.068130.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
PELDOR (pulsed electron-electron double resonance) is an established method to study intramolecular distances and can give evidence for conformational changes and flexibilities. However, it can also be used to study intermolecular interactions as for example oligerimization. Here, we used PELDOR to study the "end-to-end" stacking of small double-stranded (ds) RNAs. For this study, the dsRNA molecules were only singly labeled with the spin label TPA to avoid multispin effects and to measure only the intermolecular stacking interactions. It can be shown that small dsRNAs tend to assemble to rod-like structures due to π-π interactions between the base pairs at the end of the strands. On the one hand, these interactions can influence or complicate measurements aimed at the determining of the structure and dynamics of the dsRNA molecule itself. On the other hand, it can be interesting to study such intermolecular stacking interactions in more detail, as for example their dependence on ion concentration. We quantitatively determined the stacking probability as a function of the monovalent NaCl salt and the dsRNA concentration. From these data, the dissociation constant Kd was deduced and found to depend on the ratio between the NaCl salt and dsRNA concentrations. Additionally, the distances and distance distributions obtained predict a model for the stacking geometry of dsRNAs. Introducing a nucleotide overhangs at one end of the dsRNA molecule restricts the stacking to the other end, leading only to dimer formations. Introducing such an overhang at both ends of the dsRNA molecule fully suppresses stacking, as we demonstrate by PELDOR experiments quantitatively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Erlenbach
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Center of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Christian Grünewald
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Goethe University, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Bisera Krstic
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Center of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Alexander Heckel
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Goethe University, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Thomas F Prisner
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Center of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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16
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Chakraborty D, Hori N, Thirumalai D. Sequence-Dependent Three Interaction Site Model for Single- and Double-Stranded DNA. J Chem Theory Comput 2018; 14:3763-3779. [PMID: 29870236 PMCID: PMC6423546 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.8b00091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
We develop a robust coarse-grained model for single- and double-stranded DNA by representing each nucleotide by three interaction sites (TIS) located at the centers of mass of sugar, phosphate, and base. The resulting TIS model includes base-stacking, hydrogen bond, and electrostatic interactions as well as bond-stretching and bond angle potentials that account for the polymeric nature of DNA. The choices of force constants for stretching and the bending potentials were guided by a Boltzmann inversion procedure using a large representative set of DNA structures extracted from the Protein Data Bank. Some of the parameters in the stacking interactions were calculated using a learning procedure, which ensured that the experimentally measured melting temperatures of dimers are faithfully reproduced. Without any further adjustments, the calculations based on the TIS model reproduce the experimentally measured salt and sequence-dependence of the size of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), as well as the persistence lengths of poly(dA) and poly(dT) chains. Interestingly, upon application of mechanical force, the extension of poly(dA) exhibits a plateau, which we trace to the formation of stacked helical domains. In contrast, the force-extension curve (FEC) of poly(dT) is entropic in origin and could be described by a standard polymer model. We also show that the persistence length of double-stranded DNA, formed from two complementary ssDNAs, is consistent with the prediction based on the worm-like chain. The persistence length, which decreases with increasing salt concentration, is in accord with the Odijk-Skolnick-Fixman theory intended for stiff polyelectrolyte chains near the rod limit. Our model predicts the melting temperatures of DNA hairpins with excellent accuracy, and we are able to recover the experimentally known sequence-specific trends. The range of applications, which did not require adjusting any parameter after the initial construction based solely on PDB structures and melting profiles of dimers, attests to the transferability and robustness of the TIS model for ssDNA and dsDNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debayan Chakraborty
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Naoto Hori
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - D. Thirumalai
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
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17
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Svidritskiy E, Demo G, Korostelev AA. Mechanism of premature translation termination on a sense codon. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:12472-12479. [PMID: 29941456 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.aw118.003232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate translation termination by release factors (RFs) is critical for the integrity of cellular proteomes. Premature termination on sense codons, for example, results in truncated proteins, whose accumulation could be detrimental to the cell. Nevertheless, some sense codons are prone to triggering premature termination, but the structural basis for this is unclear. To investigate premature termination, we determined a cryo-EM structure of the Escherichia coli 70S ribosome bound with RF1 in response to a UAU (Tyr) sense codon. The structure reveals that RF1 recognizes a UAU codon similarly to a UAG stop codon, suggesting that sense codons induce premature termination because they structurally mimic a stop codon. Hydrophobic interaction between the nucleobase of U3 (the third position of the UAU codon) and conserved Ile-196 in RF1 is important for misreading the UAU codon. Analyses of RNA binding in ribonucleoprotein complexes or by amino acids reveal that Ile-U packing is a frequent protein-RNA-binding motif with key functional implications. We discuss parallels with eukaryotic translation termination by the release factor eRF1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Egor Svidritskiy
- From the RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605
| | - Gabriel Demo
- From the RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605
| | - Andrei A Korostelev
- From the RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605
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18
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Maximoff SN, Kamerlin SCL, Florián J. DNA Polymerase λ Active Site Favors a Mutagenic Mispair between the Enol Form of Deoxyguanosine Triphosphate Substrate and the Keto Form of Thymidine Template: A Free Energy Perturbation Study. J Phys Chem B 2017; 121:7813-7822. [PMID: 28732447 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b04874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Human DNA polymerase λ is an intermediate fidelity member of the X family, which plays a role in DNA repair. Recent X-ray diffraction structures of a ternary complex of a loop-deletion mutant of polymerase λ, a deoxyguanosine triphosphate analogue, and a gapped DNA show that guanine and thymine form a mutagenic mispair with an unexpected Watson-Crick-like geometry rather than a wobble geometry. Hence, there is an intriguing possibility that either thymine in the DNA or guanine in the deoxyguanosine triphosphate analogue may spend a substantial fraction of time in a deprotonated or enol form (both are minor species in aqueous solution) in the active site of the polymerase λ mutant. The experiments do not determine particular forms of the nucleobases that contribute to this mutagenic mispair. Thus, we investigate the thermodynamics of formation of various mispairs between guanine and thymine in the ternary complex at a neutral pH using classical molecular dynamics simulations and the free energy perturbation method. Our free energy calculations, as well as a comparison of the experimental and computed structures of mispairs, indicate that the Watson-Crick-like mispair between the enol tautomer of guanine and the keto tautomer of thymine is dominant. The wobble mispair between the keto forms of guanine and thymine and the Watson-Crick-like mispair between the keto tautomer of guanine and the enol tautomer of thymine are less prevalent, and mispairs that involve deprotonated guanine or thymine are thermodynamically unlikely. These findings are consistent with the experiment and relevant for understanding mechanisms of spontaneous mutagenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey N Maximoff
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Loyola University Chicago , 1032 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago, Illinois 60660, United States
| | | | - Jan Florián
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Loyola University Chicago , 1032 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago, Illinois 60660, United States
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19
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Sedova A, Banavali NK. Geometric Patterns for Neighboring Bases Near the Stacked State in Nucleic Acid Strands. Biochemistry 2017; 56:1426-1443. [PMID: 28187685 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b01101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Structural variation in base stacking has been analyzed frequently in isolated double helical contexts for nucleic acids, but not as often in nonhelical geometries or in complex biomolecular environments. In this study, conformations of two neighboring bases near their stacked state in any environment are comprehensively characterized for single-strand dinucleotide (SSD) nucleic acid crystal structure conformations. An ensemble clustering method is used to identify a reduced set of representative stacking geometries based on pairwise distances between select atoms in consecutive bases, with multiple separable conformational clusters obtained for categories divided by nucleic acid type (DNA/RNA), SSD sequence, stacking face orientation, and the presence or absence of a protein environment. For both DNA and RNA, SSD conformations are observed that are either close to the A-form, or close to the B-form, or intermediate between the two forms, or further away from either form, illustrating the local structural heterogeneity near the stacked state. Among this large variety of distinct conformations, several common stacking patterns are observed between DNA and RNA, and between nucleic acids in isolation or in complex with proteins, suggesting that these might be stable stacking orientations. Noncanonical face/face orientations of the two bases are also observed for neighboring bases in the same strand, but their frequency is much lower, with multiple SSD sequences across categories showing no occurrences of such unusual stacked conformations. The resulting reduced set of stacking geometries is directly useful for stacking-energy comparisons between empirical force fields, prediction of plausible localized variations in single-strand structures near their canonical states, and identification of analogous stacking patterns in newly solved nucleic acid containing structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ada Sedova
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany , Albany, New York 12222, United States
| | - Nilesh K Banavali
- Laboratory of Computational and Structural Biology, Division of Genetics, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, CMS 2008, Biggs Laboratory, Empire State Plaza, P.O. Box 509, Albany, New York 12201-0509, United States.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany , Albany, New York 12222, United States
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20
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Šponer JE, Šponer J, Mauro ED. New evolutionary insights into the non-enzymatic origin of RNA oligomers. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2016; 8. [PMID: 27785893 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Revised: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
We outline novel findings on the non-enzymatic polymerization of nucleotides under plausible prebiotic conditions and on the spontaneous onset of informational complexity in the founding molecule, RNA. We argue that the unique ability of 3', 5' cyclic guanosine monophosphate to form stacked architectures and polymerize in a self-sustained manner suggests that this molecule may serve as the 'seed of life' from which all self-replicating oligonucleotides can be derived via a logically complete sequence of simple events. WIREs RNA 2017, 8:e1400. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1400 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit E Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ernesto Di Mauro
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ecologiche e Biologiche, Università della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
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21
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Häse F, Zacharias M. Free energy analysis and mechanism of base pair stacking in nicked DNA. Nucleic Acids Res 2016; 44:7100-8. [PMID: 27407106 PMCID: PMC5009751 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The equilibrium of stacked and unstacked base pairs is of central importance for all nucleic acid structure formation processes. The stacking equilibrium is influenced by intramolecular interactions between nucleosides but also by interactions with the solvent. Realistic simulations on nucleic acid structure formation and flexibility require an accurate description of the stacking geometry and stability and its sequence dependence. Free energy simulations have been conducted on a series of double stranded DNA molecules with a central strand break (nick) in one strand. The change in free energy upon unstacking was calculated for all ten possible base pair steps using umbrella sampling along a center-of-mass separation coordinate and including a comparison of different water models. Comparison to experimental studies indicates qualitative agreement of the stability order but a general overestimation of base pair stacking interactions in the simulations. A significant dependence of calculated nucleobase stacking free energies on the employed water model was observed with the tendency of stacking free energies being more accurately reproduced by more complex water models. The simulation studies also suggest a mechanism of stacking/unstacking that involves significant motions perpendicular to the reaction coordinate and indicate that the equilibrium nicked base pair step may slightly differ from regular B-DNA geometry in a sequence-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Häse
- Physik-Department T38, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Strasse 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Martin Zacharias
- Physik-Department T38, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Strasse 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
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22
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Coarse-grained modeling of RNA 3D structure. Methods 2016; 103:138-56. [PMID: 27125734 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2016.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2015] [Revised: 04/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional RNA molecules depend on three-dimensional (3D) structures to carry out their tasks within the cell. Understanding how these molecules interact to carry out their biological roles requires a detailed knowledge of RNA 3D structure and dynamics as well as thermodynamics, which strongly governs the folding of RNA and RNA-RNA interactions as well as a host of other interactions within the cellular environment. Experimental determination of these properties is difficult, and various computational methods have been developed to model the folding of RNA 3D structures and their interactions with other molecules. However, computational methods also have their limitations, especially when the biological effects demand computation of the dynamics beyond a few hundred nanoseconds. For the researcher confronted with such challenges, a more amenable approach is to resort to coarse-grained modeling to reduce the number of data points and computational demand to a more tractable size, while sacrificing as little critical information as possible. This review presents an introduction to the topic of coarse-grained modeling of RNA 3D structures and dynamics, covering both high- and low-resolution strategies. We discuss how physics-based approaches compare with knowledge based methods that rely on databases of information. In the course of this review, we discuss important aspects in the reasoning process behind building different models and the goals and pitfalls that can result.
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23
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Abstract
Base stacking is a key determinant of nucleic acid structures, but the precise origin of the thermodynamic driving force behind the stacking of nucleobases remains open. The rather mild stacking free energy measured experimentally, roughly a kcal/mol depending on the identity of the bases, is physiologically significant because while base stacking confers stability to the genome in its double helix form, the duplex also has to be unwound in order to be replicated or transcribed. A stacking free energy that is either too high or too low will over- or understabilize the genome, impacting the storage of genetic information and also its retrieval. While the molecular origin of stacking driving force has been attributed to many different sources including dispersion, electrostatics, and solvent hydrogen bonding, here we show via a systematic decomposition of the stacking free energy using large-scale computer simulations that the dominant driving force stabilizing base stacking is nonhydrophobic solvent entropy. Counteracting this is the conformational entropic penalty on the sugar-phosphate backbone against stacking, while solvent hydrogen-bonding, charge-charge interactions, and dispersive forces produce only secondary perturbations. Solvent entropic forces and DNA backbone conformational strains therefore work against each other, leading to a very mild composite stacking free energy in agreement with experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi H Mak
- Department of Chemistry and Center of Applied Mathematical Sciences, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
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24
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Xu Y, Vanommeslaeghe K, Aleksandrov A, MacKerell AD, Nilsson L. Additive CHARMM force field for naturally occurring modified ribonucleotides. J Comput Chem 2016; 37:896-912. [PMID: 26841080 PMCID: PMC4801715 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.24307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2015] [Revised: 11/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
More than 100 naturally occurring modified nucleotides have been found in RNA molecules, in particular in tRNAs. We have determined molecular mechanics force field parameters compatible with the CHARMM36 all‐atom additive force field for all these modifications using the CHARMM force field parametrization strategy. Emphasis was placed on fine tuning of the partial atomic charges and torsion angle parameters. Quantum mechanics calculations on model compounds provided the initial set of target data, and extensive molecular dynamics simulations of nucleotides and oligonucleotides in aqueous solutions were used for further refinement against experimental data. The presented parameters will allow for computational studies of a wide range of RNAs containing modified nucleotides, including the ribosome and transfer RNAs. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Computational Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- You Xu
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, HUDDINGE, SE-141 83, Sweden
| | - Kenno Vanommeslaeghe
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, 20 Penn Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21201.,Department of Analytical Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technology (FABI), Center for Pharmaceutical Research (CePhaR), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Laarbeeklaan 103, Brussels, B-1090, Belgium
| | - Alexey Aleksandrov
- Department of Biology, Ecole Polytechnique, Laboratoire De Biochimie (CNRS UMR7654), Palaiseau, F-91128, France
| | - Alexander D MacKerell
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, 20 Penn Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21201
| | - Lennart Nilsson
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, HUDDINGE, SE-141 83, Sweden
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25
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26
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Marenich AV, Olson RM, Chamberlin AC, Cramer CJ, Truhlar DG. Polarization Effects in Aqueous and Nonaqueous Solutions. J Chem Theory Comput 2015; 3:2055-67. [PMID: 26636201 DOI: 10.1021/ct7001539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Polarization effects in aqueous and nonaqueous solutions were analyzed for nine neutral and three charged organic solutes by the SM8 universal implicit solvation model and class IV partial atomic charges based on Charge Model 4M (CM4M) with the M06-2X density functional. The CM4M partial atomic charges in neutral and ionic solutes and in the corresponding clustered solutes (supersolutes), which included one solute molecule and one or two solvent molecules, were modeled in three solvents (benzene, methylene chloride, and water) and compared to those in the gas phase. The use of the supersolute approach (microsolvation) allows one to account for charge transfer from the solute to the solvent, and we find charge transfers as large as 0.06 atomic units for neutral solutes (pyridine in water) and 0.32 atomic units for ions (methoxide anion in water). Relaxation of the electronic structure of the solute in the presence of solvent increases the polarization free energy of the neutral solutes studied here, on average, by 16% in benzene, 30% in methylene chloride, and 43% in water. The increase for the ions in water averaged 43%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandr V Marenich
- Department of Chemistry and Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant Street S.E., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0431
| | - Ryan M Olson
- Department of Chemistry and Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant Street S.E., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0431
| | - Adam C Chamberlin
- Department of Chemistry and Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant Street S.E., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0431
| | - Christopher J Cramer
- Department of Chemistry and Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant Street S.E., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0431
| | - Donald G Truhlar
- Department of Chemistry and Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant Street S.E., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0431
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27
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Brown RF, Andrews CT, Elcock AH. Stacking Free Energies of All DNA and RNA Nucleoside Pairs and Dinucleoside-Monophosphates Computed Using Recently Revised AMBER Parameters and Compared with Experiment. J Chem Theory Comput 2015; 11:2315-28. [PMID: 26574427 PMCID: PMC4651843 DOI: 10.1021/ct501170h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
We report the results of a series of 1-μs-long explicit-solvent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations performed to compare the free energies of stacking (ΔGstack) of all possible combinations of DNA and RNA nucleoside (NS) pairs and dinucleoside-monophosphates (DNMPs). For both NS pairs and DNMPs, we show that the computed stacking free energies are in reasonable qualitative agreement with experimental measurements and appear to provide the closest correspondence with experimental data yet found among computational studies; in all cases, however, the computed stacking free energies are too favorable relative to experimental data. Comparisons of NS-pair systems indicate that stacking interactions are very similar in RNA and DNA systems except when a thymine or uracil base is involved: the presence of a thymine base favors stacking by ∼0.3 kcal/mol relative to a uracil base. One exception is found in the self-stacking of cytidines, which are found to be significantly more favorable for the DNA form; an analysis of the rotational orientations sampled during stacking events suggests that this is likely to be due to more favorable sugar-sugar interactions in stacked complexes of deoxycytidines. Comparisons of the DNMP systems indicate that stacking interactions are more favorable in RNA than in DNA except, again, when thymine or uracil bases are involved. Finally, additional simulations performed using a previous generation of the AMBER force field-in which the description of glycosidic bond rotations was less than optimal-produce computed stacking free energies that are in poorer agreement with experimental data. Overall, the simulations provide a comprehensive view of stacking thermodynamics in NS pairs and in DNMPs as predicted by a state-of-the-art MD force field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reid F. Brown
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Casey T. Andrews
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Adrian H. Elcock
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
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28
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Mouzakis KD, Dethoff EA, Tonelli M, Al-Hashimi H, Butcher SE. Dynamic motions of the HIV-1 frameshift site RNA. Biophys J 2015; 108:644-54. [PMID: 25650931 PMCID: PMC4317556 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2014.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2014] [Revised: 11/11/2014] [Accepted: 12/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The HIV-1 frameshift site (FS) plays a critical role in viral replication. During translation, the HIV-1 FS transitions from a 3-helix to a 2-helix junction RNA secondary structure. The 2-helix junction structure contains a GGA bulge, and purine-rich bulges are common motifs in RNA secondary structure. Here, we investigate the dynamics of the HIV-1 FS 2-helix junction RNA. Interhelical motions were studied under different ionic conditions using NMR order tensor analysis of residual dipolar couplings. In 150 mM potassium, the RNA adopts a 43°(±4°) interhelical bend angle (β) and displays large amplitude, anisotropic interhelical motions characterized by a 0.52(±0.04) internal generalized degree of order (GDOint) and distinct order tensor asymmetries for its two helices (η = 0.26(±0.04) and 0.5(±0.1)). These motions are effectively quenched by addition of 2 mM magnesium (GDOint = 0.87(±0.06)), which promotes a near-coaxial conformation (β = 15°(±6°)) of the two helices. Base stacking in the bulge was investigated using the fluorescent purine analog 2-aminopurine. These results indicate that magnesium stabilizes extrahelical conformations of the bulge nucleotides, thereby promoting coaxial stacking of helices. These results are highly similar to previous studies of the HIV transactivation response RNA, despite a complete lack of sequence similarity between the two RNAs. Thus, the conformational space of these RNAs is largely determined by the topology of their interhelical junctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn D Mouzakis
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Elizabeth A Dethoff
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Marco Tonelli
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | | | - Samuel E Butcher
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
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29
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Hitaoka S, Chuman H, Yoshizawa K. A QSAR study on the inhibition mechanism of matrix metalloproteinase-12 by arylsulfone analogs based on molecular orbital calculations. Org Biomol Chem 2015; 13:793-806. [DOI: 10.1039/c4ob01843e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The inhibition mechanism of matrix metalloproteinase-12 by arylsulfone analogs is revealed using a comprehensive computational approach including docking simulations, molecular orbital calculations, and QSAR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seiji Hitaoka
- Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering and International Research Center for Molecular System
- Kyushu University
- Fukuoka 819-0395
- Japan
| | - Hiroshi Chuman
- Institute of Health Biosciences
- The University of Tokushima Graduate School
- Tokushima 770-8505
- Japan
| | - Kazunari Yoshizawa
- Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering and International Research Center for Molecular System
- Kyushu University
- Fukuoka 819-0395
- Japan
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30
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Cuesta IG, Sánchez de Merás AMJ. Energy interactions in amyloid-like fibrils from NNQQNY. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2014; 16:4369-77. [PMID: 24458317 DOI: 10.1039/c3cp53551g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
We use large-scale MP2 calculations to analyze the interactions appearing in amyloid fibers, which are difficult to determine experimentally. To this end, dimers and trimers of the hexapeptide NNQQNY from the yeast prion-like protein Sup35 were considered as model systems. We studied the energy interactions present in the three levels of organization in which the formation of amyloid fibrils is structured. The structural changes in the hydrogen bonds were studied too. It was found that the most energetic process is the formation of the β-sheet, which is equally due to both hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions. The aromatic rings help stabilize these aggregates through stacking of the aromatic rings of tyrosine, the stability produced by the aromatics residues increasing with their aromaticity. The formation of the basic unit of the assembled proto-fiber, the steric zipper, is less energetic and is associated to both dispersion forces and hydrogen bonds. The interactions between pair of β-sheets across the peptide-to-peptide contact through the tyrosine rings are cooperative and due to dispersion effects. Moreover, the strength of this interaction can rationalize the variation of mobility of the aromatic ring in the tyrosine units found in solid NMR experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inmaculada García Cuesta
- Instituto de Ciencia Molecular, Universidad de Valencia, P.O. Box 22085, E-46071 Valencia, Spain.
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31
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32
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Chen J, Kohler B. Base stacking in adenosine dimers revealed by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. J Am Chem Soc 2014; 136:6362-72. [PMID: 24735123 DOI: 10.1021/ja501342b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Excitons formed in DNA by UV absorption decay via poorly understood pathways that can culminate in mutagenic photoproducts. In order to gain insight into how base stacking influences UV excited states in DNA, five dinucleosides composed of adenosine or 2'-deoxyadenosine units joined by flexible linkers were studied by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. In aqueous solution, transient absorption signals recorded at pump and probe wavelengths of 267 and 250 nm, respectively, show that UV absorption produces excimer states in all dimers that decay orders of magnitude more slowly than excitations in a single adenine nucleotide. Adding methanol as a cosolvent disrupts π-π stacking of the adenine moieties and causes the excimer states in all five dinucleosides to vanish for a methanol concentration of 80% by volume. These observations confirm that base stacking is an essential requirement for the slow decay channel seen in these and other DNA model compounds. This channel appears to be insensitive to the precise stacking conformation at the instant of photon absorption as long as the bases are cofacially stacked. Notably, circular dichroism (CD) spectra of several of the dinucleosides are weak and monomer-like and lack the exciton coupling that has been emphasized in the past as an indicator of base-stacked structure. For these dimers, the coupled transition dipole moments of the two adenines are proposed to adopt left- and right-handed arrangements upon stacking with roughly equal probability. Although the mechanism behind slow nonradiative decay in DNA is still uncertain, these results show that the signature of these states in transient absorption experiments can be a more reliable diagnostic of base stacking than the occurrence of exciton-coupled CD signals. These observations also draw attention to the important role the backbone plays in producing structures with axial (helical) chirality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinquan Chen
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University , Bozeman, Montana 59717-3400, United States
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33
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Ng DT, Sarkar CA. NP-Sticky: A Web Server for Optimizing DNA Ligation with Non-Palindromic Sticky Ends. J Mol Biol 2014; 426:1861-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2014.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2013] [Revised: 01/17/2014] [Accepted: 02/03/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Paytakov G, Gorb L, Stepanyugin A, Samiylenko S, Hovorun D, Leszczynski J. Homodimers of Cytosine and 1-MethylCytosine. A DFT study of geometry, relative stability and H-NMR shifts in gas-phase and selected solvents. J Mol Model 2014; 20:2115. [DOI: 10.1007/s00894-014-2115-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2013] [Accepted: 12/13/2013] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
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35
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Baez M, Cabrera R, Pereira HM, Blanco A, Villalobos P, Ramírez-Sarmiento CA, Caniuguir A, Guixé V, Garratt RC, Babul J. A ribokinase family conserved monovalent cation binding site enhances the MgATP-induced inhibition in E. coli phosphofructokinase-2. Biophys J 2014; 105:185-93. [PMID: 23823238 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2013.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2012] [Revised: 04/30/2013] [Accepted: 05/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of a regulatory site for monovalent cations that affects the conformation of the MgATP-binding pocket leading to enzyme activation has been demonstrated for ribokinases. This site is selective toward the ionic radius of the monovalent cation, accepting those larger than Na(+). Phosphofructokinase-2 (Pfk-2) from Escherichia coli is homologous to ribokinase, but unlike other ribokinase family members, presents an additional site for the nucleotide that negatively regulates its enzymatic activity. In this work, we show the effect of monovalent cations on the kinetic parameters of Pfk-2 together with its three-dimensional structure determined by x-ray diffraction in the presence of K(+) or Cs(+). Kinetic characterization of the enzyme shows that K(+) and Na(+) alter neither the kcat nor the KM values for fructose-6-P or MgATP. However, the presence of K(+) (but not Na(+)) enhances the allosteric inhibition induced by MgATP. Moreover, binding experiments show that K(+) (but not Na(+)) increases the affinity of MgATP in a saturable fashion. In agreement with the biochemical data, the crystal structure of Pfk-2 obtained in the presence of MgATP shows a cation-binding site at the conserved position predicted for the ribokinase family of proteins. This site is adjacent to the MgATP allosteric binding site and is only observed in the presence of Cs(+) or K(+). These results indicate that binding of the monovalent metal ions indirectly influences the allosteric site of Pfk-2 by increasing its affinity for MgATP with no alteration in the conformation of residues present at the catalytic site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio Baez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Chen J, Zhang Y, Kohler B. Excited States in DNA Strands Investigated by Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy. PHOTOINDUCED PHENOMENA IN NUCLEIC ACIDS II 2014; 356:39-87. [DOI: 10.1007/128_2014_570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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37
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Mládek A, Banáš P, Jurečka P, Otyepka M, Zgarbová M, Šponer J. Energies and 2'-Hydroxyl Group Orientations of RNA Backbone Conformations. Benchmark CCSD(T)/CBS Database, Electronic Analysis, and Assessment of DFT Methods and MD Simulations. J Chem Theory Comput 2013; 10:463-80. [PMID: 26579924 DOI: 10.1021/ct400837p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Sugar-phosphate backbone is an electronically complex molecular segment imparting RNA molecules high flexibility and architectonic heterogeneity necessary for their biological functions. The structural variability of RNA molecules is amplified by the presence of the 2'-hydroxyl group, capable of forming multitude of intra- and intermolecular interactions. Bioinformatics studies based on X-ray structure database revealed that RNA backbone samples at least 46 substates known as rotameric families. The present study provides a comprehensive analysis of RNA backbone conformational preferences and 2'-hydroxyl group orientations. First, we create a benchmark database of estimated CCSD(T)/CBS relative energies of all rotameric families and test performance of dispersion-corrected DFT-D3 methods and molecular mechanics in vacuum and in continuum solvent. The performance of the DFT-D3 methods is in general quite satisfactory. The B-LYP-D3 method provides the best trade-off between accuracy and computational demands. B3-LYP-D3 slightly outperforms the new PW6B95-D3 and MPW1B95-D3 and is the second most accurate density functional of the study. The best agreement with CCSD(T)/CBS is provided by DSD-B-LYP-D3 double-hybrid functional, although its large-scale applications may be limited by high computational costs. Molecular mechanics does not reproduce the fine energy differences between the RNA backbone substates. We also demonstrate that the differences in the magnitude of the hyperconjugation effect do not correlate with the energy ranking of the backbone conformations. Further, we investigated the 2'-hydroxyl group orientation preferences. For all families, we conducted a QM and MM hydroxyl group rigid scan in gas phase and solvent. We then carried out set of explicit solvent MD simulations of folded RNAs and analyze 2'-hydroxyl group orientations of different backbone families in MD. The solvent energy profiles determined primarily by the sugar pucker match well with the distribution data derived from the simulations. The QM and MM energy profiles predict the same 2'-hydroxyl group orientation preferences. Finally, we demonstrate that the high energy of unfavorable and rarely sampled 2'-hydroxyl group orientations can be attributed to clashes between occupied orbitals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnošt Mládek
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic , Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Banáš
- Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacky University , tr. 17. listopadu 12, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Jurečka
- Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacky University , tr. 17. listopadu 12, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Otyepka
- Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacky University , tr. 17. listopadu 12, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Marie Zgarbová
- Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacky University , tr. 17. listopadu 12, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic , Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic.,CEITEC, Central European Institute of Technology , Campus Bohunice, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
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38
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Šponer J, Šponer JE, Mládek A, Banáš P, Jurečka P, Otyepka M. How to understand quantum chemical computations on DNA and RNA systems? A practical guide for non-specialists. Methods 2013; 64:3-11. [PMID: 23747334 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2013.05.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2013] [Revised: 05/29/2013] [Accepted: 05/30/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review primarily written for non-experts we explain basic methodological aspects and interpretation of modern quantum chemical (QM) computations applied to nucleic acids. We introduce current reference QM computations on small model systems consisting of dozens of atoms. Then we comment on recent advance of fast and accurate dispersion-corrected density functional theory methods, which will allow computations of small but complete nucleic acids building blocks in the near future. The qualitative difference between QM and molecular mechanics (MM, force field) computations is discussed. We also explain relation of QM and molecular simulation computations to experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiří Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic; CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Campus Bohunice, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
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39
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Ding N, Chen X, Wu CML, Li H. Adsorption of nucleobase pairs on hexagonal boron nitride sheet: hydrogen bonding versus stacking. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2013; 15:10767-76. [PMID: 23689542 DOI: 10.1039/c3cp50912e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The adsorption of hydrogen-bonded and stacked nucleobase pairs on the hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) surface was studied by density functional theory and molecular dynamics methods. Eight types of nucleobase pairs (i.e., GG, AA, TT, CC, UU, AT, GC, and AU) were chosen as the adsorbates. The adsorption configurations, interaction energies, and electronic properties of the nucleobase pair on the h-BN surface were obtained and compared. The density of states analysis result shows that both the hydrogen-bonded and stacked nucleobase pairs were physisorbed on h-BN with minimal charge transfer. The hydrogen-bonded base pairs lying on the h-BN surface are significantly more stable than the stacked forms in both the gas and water phase. The molecular dynamics simulation result indicates that h-BN possessed high sensitivity for the nucleobases and the h-BN surface adsorption could revert the base pair interaction from stacking back to hydrogen bonding in aqueous environment. The h-BN surface could immobilize the nucleobases on its surface, which suggests the use of h-BN has good potential in DNA/RNA detection biosensors and self-assembly nanodevices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Ding
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, PR China
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40
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Denesyuk NA, Thirumalai D. Coarse-grained model for predicting RNA folding thermodynamics. J Phys Chem B 2013; 117:4901-11. [PMID: 23527587 DOI: 10.1021/jp401087x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
We present a thermodynamically robust coarse-grained model to simulate folding of RNA in monovalent salt solutions. The model includes stacking, hydrogen bond, and electrostatic interactions as fundamental components in describing the stability of RNA structures. The stacking interactions are parametrized using a set of nucleotide-specific parameters, which were calibrated against the thermodynamic measurements for single-base stacks and base-pair stacks. All hydrogen bonds are assumed to have the same strength, regardless of their context in the RNA structure. The ionic buffer is modeled implicitly, using the concept of counterion condensation and the Debye-Hückel theory. The three adjustable parameters in the model were determined by fitting the experimental data for two RNA hairpins and a pseudoknot. A single set of parameters provides good agreement with thermodynamic data for the three RNA molecules over a wide range of temperatures and salt concentrations. In the process of calibrating the model, we establish the extent of counterion condensation onto the single-stranded RNA backbone. The reduced backbone charge is independent of the ionic strength and is 60% of the RNA bare charge at 37 °C. Our model can be used to predict the folding thermodynamics for any RNA molecule in the presence of monovalent ions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia A Denesyuk
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Biophysics Program, Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
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41
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Di Mauro E, Saladino R, Trifonov EN. The path to life's origins. Remaining hurdles. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2013; 32:512-22. [PMID: 23582097 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2013.783509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Recent progress in abiotic syntheses, especially self-catalytic syntheses, as well as theoretical breakthroughs such as reconstruction of events of early molecular evolution and tracing repeat expansions in contemporary genomes, converge to a rather simple possible scenario of origin of life, notwithstanding the enormity of the problem. The scenario includes self-replicating RNA duplexes, supplemented by monomers and high-energy compounds that, as demonstrated or assumed, can all be synthesized abiotically. The self-replication would proceed with occasional mutational changes, propagated in later cycles. This audacious, as it may seem, walk toward the life origin already involves many laboratories, each exploring its own scenario. The one suggested in this outline seems to the authors well justified to engage in, while bypassing few steps to deal with later.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernesto Di Mauro
- a Dipartimento di, Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin" , Istituto Pasteur "Fondazione Cenci-Bolognetti", "Sapienza" Universita' , di Roma, P.leAldo Moro, 5, Rome , 00185 , Italy
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42
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Sharma P, Lait LA, Wetmore SD. Exploring the limits of nucleobase expansion: computational design of naphthohomologated (xx-) purines and comparison to the natural and xDNA purines. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2013; 15:15538-49. [DOI: 10.1039/c3cp52656a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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43
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Beššeová I, Banáš P, Kührová P, Košinová P, Otyepka M, Šponer J. Simulations of A-RNA Duplexes. The Effect of Sequence, Solute Force Field, Water Model, and Salt Concentration. J Phys Chem B 2012; 116:9899-916. [DOI: 10.1021/jp3014817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Beššeová
- Institute
of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska
135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Banáš
- Institute
of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska
135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
- Regional Centre of Advanced
Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty
of Science, Palacky University, tr. 17
listopadu 12, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Petra Kührová
- Regional Centre of Advanced
Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty
of Science, Palacky University, tr. 17
listopadu 12, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Pavlína Košinová
- Regional Centre of Advanced
Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty
of Science, Palacky University, tr. 17
listopadu 12, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Otyepka
- Institute
of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska
135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
- Regional Centre of Advanced
Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty
of Science, Palacky University, tr. 17
listopadu 12, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Šponer
- Institute
of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska
135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
- CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Campus Bohunice, Kamenice
5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
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44
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Hunter RS, van Mourik T. DNA base stacking: The stacked uracil/uracil and thymine/thymine minima. J Comput Chem 2012; 33:2161-72. [DOI: 10.1002/jcc.23052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2012] [Revised: 06/01/2012] [Accepted: 06/04/2012] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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45
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Saladino R, Botta G, Pino S, Costanzo G, Di Mauro E. Genetics first or metabolism first? The formamide clue. Chem Soc Rev 2012; 41:5526-65. [PMID: 22684046 DOI: 10.1039/c2cs35066a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Life is made of the intimate interaction of metabolism and genetics, both built around the chemistry of the most common elements of the Universe (hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon). The transmissible interaction of metabolic and genetic cycles results in the hypercycles of organization and de-organization of chemical information, of living and non-living. The origin-of-life quest has long been split into several attitudes exemplified by the aphorisms "genetics-first" or "metabolism-first". Recently, the opposition between these approaches has been solved by more unitary theoretical and experimental frames taking into account energetic, evolutionary, proto-metabolic and environmental aspects. Nevertheless, a unitary and simple chemical frame is still needed that could afford both the precursors of the synthetic pathways eventually leading to RNA and to the key components of the central metabolic cycles, possibly connected with the synthesis of fatty acids. In order to approach the problem of the origin of life it is therefore reasonable to start from the assumption that both metabolism and genetics had a common origin, shared a common chemical frame, and were embedded under physical-chemical conditions favourable for the onset of both. The singleness of such a prebiotically productive chemical process would partake of Darwinian advantages over more complex fragmentary chemical systems. The prebiotic chemistry of formamide affords in a single and simple physical-chemical frame nucleic bases, acyclonucleosides, nucleotides, biogenic carboxylic acids, sugars, amino sugars, amino acids and condensing agents. Thus, we suggest the possibility that formamide could have jointly provided the main components for the onset of both (pre)genetic and (pre)metabolic processes. As a note of caution, we discuss the fact that these observations only indicate possible solutions at the level of organic substrates, not at the systemic chemical level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Saladino
- Dipartimento di Agrobiologia ed Agrochimica, Università della Tuscia, Via San Camillo De Lellis, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
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46
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Costanzo G, Saladino R, Botta G, Giorgi A, Scipioni A, Pino S, Di Mauro E. Generation of RNA molecules by a base-catalysed click-like reaction. Chembiochem 2012; 13:999-1008. [PMID: 22474011 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201200068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The problem of the abiotic origin of RNA from prebiotically plausible compounds remains unsolved. As a potential partial solution, we report the spontaneous polymerization of 3',5'-cyclic GMP in water, in formamide, in dimethylformamide, and (in water) in the presence of a Brønsted base such as 1,8-diazabicycloundec-7-ene. The reaction is untemplated, does not require enzymatic activities, is thermodynamically favoured and selectively yields 3',5'-bonded ribopolymers containing as many as 25 nucleotides. We propose a reaction pathway on the basis of 1) the measured stacking of the 3',5'-cyclic monomers, 2) the activation by Brønsted bases, 3) the determination (by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, by (31)P NMR, and by specific ribonucleases) of the molecular species produced. The reaction pathway has several of the attributes of a click-like reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Costanzo
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari, CNR, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
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47
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Jafilan S, Klein L, Hyun C, Florián J. Intramolecular base stacking of dinucleoside monophosphate anions in aqueous solution. J Phys Chem B 2012; 116:3613-8. [PMID: 22369267 DOI: 10.1021/jp209986y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Time-dependent motions of 32 deoxyribodinucleoside and ribodinucleoside monophosphate anions in aqueous solution at 310 K were monitored during 40 ns using classical molecular dynamics (MD). In all studied molecules, spontaneous stacking/unstacking transitions occurred on a time-scale of 10 ns. To facilitate the structural analysis of the sampled configurations we defined a reaction coordinate for the nucleobase stacking that considers both the angle between the planes of the two nucleobases and the distance between their mass-centers. Additionally, we proposed a physically meaningful transient point on this coordinate that separates the stacked and unstacked states. We applied this definition to calculate free energies for stacking of all pairwise combinations of adenine, thymine (uracil), cytosine and guanine moieties embedded in studied dinucleosides monophosphate anions. The stacking equilibrium constants decreased in the order 5'-AG-3' > GA ~ GG ~ AA > GT ~ TG ~ AT ~ GC ~ AC > CG ~ TA > CA ~ TC ~ TT ~ CT ~ CC. The stacked conformations of AG occurred 10 times more frequently than its unstacked conformations. On the other hand, the last five base combinations showed a greater preference for the unstacked than the stacked state. The presence of an additional 2'-OH group in the RNA-based dinucleoside monophosphates increased the fraction of stacked complexes but decreased the compactness of the stacked state. The calculated MD trajectories were also used to reveal prevailing mutual orientation of the nucleobase dipoles in the stacked state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salem Jafilan
- Department of Chemistry, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60626, USA
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48
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Saladino R, Crestini C, Pino S, Costanzo G, Di Mauro E. Formamide and the origin of life. Phys Life Rev 2012; 9:84-104. [DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2011.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2011] [Accepted: 12/06/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Affiliation(s)
- Emil Paleček
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Kralovopolska 135, 612
65 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Bartošík
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Kralovopolska 135, 612
65 Brno, Czech Republic
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50
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Liu Y, Gallo AA, Xu W, Bajpai R, Florián J. CH···π Interactions Do Not Contribute to Hydrogen Transfer Catalysis by Glycerol Dehydratase. J Phys Chem A 2011; 115:11162-6. [DOI: 10.1021/jp202687g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuemin Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504, United States
| | - August A. Gallo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504, United States
| | - Wu Xu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504, United States
| | - Rakesh Bajpai
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504, United States
| | - Jan Florián
- Department of Chemistry, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60626, United States
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