Synthesis, purification and sample experiment for fluorescent pteridine-containing DNA: tools for studying DNA interactive systems

Oxazinomycin arrests RNA polymerase at the polythymidine sequences

Oxazinomycin is a C-nucleoside antibiotic that is produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus and closely resembles uridine. Here, we show that the oxazinomycin triphosphate is a good substrate for bacterial and eukaryotic RNA polymerases (RNAPs) and that a single incorporated oxazinomycin is rapidly extended by the next nucleotide. However, the incorporation of several successive oxazinomycins or a single oxazinomycin in a certain sequence context arrested a fraction of the transcribing RNAP. The addition of Gre RNA cleavage factors eliminated the transcriptional arrest at a single oxazinomycin and shortened the nascent RNAs arrested at the polythymidine sequences suggesting that the transcriptional arrest was caused by backtracking of RNAP along the DNA template. We further demonstrate that the ubiquitous C-nucleoside pseudouridine is also a good substrate for RNA polymerases in a triphosphorylated form but does not inhibit transcription of the polythymidine sequences. Our results collectively suggest that oxazinomycin functions as a Trojan horse substrate and its inhibitory effect is attributable to the oxygen atom in the position corresponding to carbon five of the uracil ring.

Isothermal amplification of DNA using quadruplex primers with fluorescent pteridine base analogue 3-methyl isoxanthopterin

We previously developed a method, known as quadruplex priming amplification (QPA), which greatly simplifies DNA amplification and quantification assays. QPA employs specific primers based on GGGTGGGTGGGTGGG (G3T) sequence, which upon polymerase elongation spontaneously dissociates from the target and folds into a stable quadruplex. Fluorescent nucleotide analogs, when incorporated into these primers, emit light upon quadruplex formation and permit simple, specific, and sensitive quantification without the attachment of probe molecules. Here, we studied optical [fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD)] and thermodynamic properties of the G3T sequence and variants incorporating 3-methylisoxanthopterin (3MI), a highly fluorescent nucleotide analog suitable for QPA. CD studies demonstrate that the incorporation of 3MI does not change the overall tertiary structure of G3T; however, thermal unfolding experiments revealed that it significantly destabilizes the quadruplex. Enzymatic studies revealed that Taq and Bst are practically unable to incorporate any nucleotides opposite to template 3MI. Based on this knowledge, we designed QPA assays with truncated targets that demonstrate efficient amplification around 55°C. Overall, these studies suggest that 3MI-based QPA is a useful assay for DNA amplification and detection.

Exponential quadruplex priming amplification for DNA-based isothermal diagnostics

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a method of choice for molecular diagnostics. However, PCR relies on thermal cycling, which is not compatible with the goals of point-of-care diagnostics. A simple strategy to turn PCR into an isothermal method would be to use specific primers, which upon polymerase elongation can self-dissociate from the primer-binding sites. We recently demonstrated that a monomolecular DNA quadruplex, GGGTGGGTGGGTGGG, meets these requirements, which led to the development of the linear versions of quadruplex priming amplification (QPA). Here we demonstrate exponential version of isothermal QPA, which allows an unprecedented 10(10)-fold amplification of DNA signal in less than 40 min.

Monitoring translocation of multisubunit RNA polymerase along the DNA with fluorescent base analogues

Here we describe a direct fluorescence method that reports real-time occupancies of the pre- and post-translocated state of multisubunit RNA polymerase. In a stopped-flow setup, this method is capable of resolving a single base-pair translocation motion of RNA polymerase in real time. In a conventional spectrofluorometer, this method can be employed for studies of the time-averaged distribution of RNA polymerase on the DNA template. This method utilizes commercially available base analogue fluorophores integrated into template DNA strand in place of natural bases. We describe two template DNA strand designs where translocation of RNA polymerase from a pre-translocation to a post-translocation state results in disruption of stacking interactions of fluorophore with neighboring bases, with a concomitant large increase in fluorescence intensity.

Mechanisms of cell division as regulators of acute immune response

The acute adaptive immune response is complex, proceeding through phases of activation of quiescent lymphocytes, rapid expansion by cell division and cell differentiation, cessation of division and eventual death of greater than 95 % of the newly generated population. Control of the response is not central but appears to operate as a distributed process where global patterns reliably emerge as a result of collective behaviour of a large number of autonomous cells. In this review, we highlight evidence that competing intracellular timed processes underlie the distribution of individual fates and control cell proliferation, cessation and loss. These principles can be captured in a mathematical model to illustrate consistency with previously published experimentally observed data.

Electronic transition moments of 6-methyl isoxanthopterin--a fluorescent analogue of the nucleic acid base guanine

Fluorescent nucleic acid base analogues are important spectroscopic tools for understanding local structure and dynamics of DNA and RNA. We studied the orientations and magnitudes of the electric dipole transition moments (EDTMs) of 6-methyl isoxanthopterin (6-MI), a fluorescent analogue of guanine that has been particularly useful in biological studies. Using a combination of absorption spectroscopy, linear dichroism (LD) and quantum chemical calculations, we identified six electronic transitions that occur within the 25 000–50 000 cm⁻¹ spectral range. Our results indicate that the two experimentally observed lowest-energy transitions, which occur at 29 687 cm⁻¹ (337 nm) and 34 596 cm⁻¹ (289 nm), are each polarized within the plane of the 6-MI base. A third in-plane polarized transition is experimentally observed at 47 547 cm⁻¹ (210 nm). The theoretically predicted orientation of the lowest-energy transition moment agrees well with experiment. Based on these results, we constructed an exciton model to describe the absorption spectra of a 6-MI dinucleotide–substituted double-stranded DNA construct. This model is in good agreement with the experimental data. The orientations and intensities of the low-energy electronic transitions of 6-MI reported here should be useful for studying local conformations of DNA and RNA in biologically important complexes.

Isothermal quadruplex priming amplification for DNA-based diagnostics

We previously developed a method, known as quadruplex priming amplification (QPA), which permits isothermal amplification of DNA. The assay is based on a DNA quadruplex formed by the GGGTGGGTGGGTGGG (G3T) sequence. G3T has three unique properties that are fundamental for QPA; (i) G3T forms a quadruplex with significantly more favorable thermodynamics than the corresponding DNA duplexes; (ii) removal of guanines at the 3'-end inhibits quadruplex formation; and (iii) incorporated fluorescent nucleotides, such as 2-aminopurine (2AP) or 6-methylisoxanthopterin (6MI), which are quenched by neighboring nucleotides, regain maximum emission upon quadruplex formation. New model studies carried out here with primers missing one, two and three guanines reveal that the driving force for QPA comes from the difference in thermal stability between the primer/template and the product complexes. Primers missing one and two guanines are able to self-dissociate from the template upon elongation, whereas QPA is not observed when the primer lacks three 3'-nucleotides. QPA reaches its maximum rate at temperatures slightly higher than the T(m) of the primer/template complex and is more efficient in the presence of only dGTP. QPA-based assays also revealed that Taq is able to incorporate thymidines opposite template 2AP, while no significant incorporation was observed opposite template 6MI.

Quadruplex formation as a molecular switch to turn on intrinsically fluorescent nucleotide analogs

Quadruplexes are involved in the regulation of gene expression and are part of telomeres at the ends of chromosomes. In addition, they are useful in therapeutic and biotechnological applications, including nucleic acid diagnostics. In the presence of K⁺ ions, two 15-mer sequences d(GGTTGGTGTGGTTGG) (thrombin binding aptamer) and d(GGGTGGGTGGGTGGG) (G3T) fold into antiparallel and parallel quadruplexes, respectively. In the present study, we measured the fluorescence intensity of one or more 2-aminopurine or 6-methylisoxanthopterin base analogs incorporated at loop-positions of quadruplex forming sequences to develop a detection method for DNA sequences in solution. Before quadruplex formation, the fluorescence is efficiently quenched in all cases. Remarkably, G3T quadruplex formation results in emission of fluorescence equal to that of a free base in all three positions. In the case of thrombin binding aptamer, the emission intensity depends on the location of the fluorescent nucleotides. Circular dichroism studies demonstrate that the modifications do not change the overall secondary structure, whereas thermal unfolding experiments revealed that fluorescent analogs significantly destabilize the quadruplexes. Overall, these studies suggest that quadruplexes containing fluorescent nucleotide analogs are useful tools in the development of novel DNA detection methodologies.

Active site opening and closure control translocation of multisubunit RNA polymerase

Multisubunit RNA polymerase (RNAP) is the central information-processing enzyme in all cellular life forms, yet its mechanism of translocation along the DNA molecule remains conjectural. Here, we report direct monitoring of bacterial RNAP translocation following the addition of a single nucleotide. Time-resolved measurements demonstrated that translocation is delayed relative to nucleotide incorporation and occurs shortly after or concurrently with pyrophosphate release. An investigation of translocation equilibrium suggested that the strength of interactions between RNA 3′ nucleotide and nucleophilic and substrate sites determines the translocation state of transcription elongation complexes, whereas active site opening and closure modulate the affinity of the substrate site, thereby favoring the post- and pre-translocated states, respectively. The RNAP translocation mechanism is exploited by the antibiotic tagetitoxin, which mimics pyrophosphate and induces backward translocation by closing the active site.

Fluorescence polarization anisotropy to measure RNA dynamics

RNA requires helical motion to fold and carry out its function. As RNA helical motion occurs on the nanosecond timescale, the timescale probed by fluorescence dyes, fluorescence polarization anisotropy (FPA) is a simple, yet powerful, technique to study helical dynamics in RNA. With the recent development of several fluorescent base analogs that have a nanosecond timescale lifetime in a duplex, FPA has begun to be used for characterizing RNA dynamics. Using the probe 6-methylisoxanthopterin (6-MI) as an example, we describe the procedure for carrying out FPA experiments on model oligonucleotide systems and in a complex RNA, the Tetrahymena group I intron. For smaller RNA systems, isolating the motion of the target helix from the overall tumbling of the whole RNA system is necessary, and nucleic acids binding proteins can be incorporated into the RNA system to increase the overall size of the system, slow the overall tumbling, and thereby reduce the anisotropy contribution from the overall tumbling to negligible. The procedure for incorporating one such protein, the Lac Repressor, is given as an example.

Fluorescent xDNA nucleotides as efficient substrates for a template-independent polymerase

Template independent polymerases, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) in particular, have been widely used in enzymatic labeling of DNA 3′-ends, yielding fluorescently-labeled polymers. The majority of fluorescent nucleotides used as TdT substrates contain tethered fluorophores attached to a natural nucleotide, and can be hindered by undesired fluorescence characteristics such as self-quenching. We previously documented the inherent fluorescence of a set of four benzo-expanded deoxynucleoside analogs (xDNA) that maintain Watson–Crick base pairing and base stacking ability; however, their substrate abilities for standard template-dependent polymerases were hampered by their large size. However, it seemed possible that a template-independent enzyme, due to lowered geometric constraints, might be less restrictive of nucleobase size. Here, we report the synthesis and study of xDNA nucleoside triphosphates, and studies of their substrate abilities with TdT. We find that this polymerase can incorporate each of the four xDNA monomers with kinetic efficiencies that are nearly the same as those of natural nucleotides, as measured by steady-state methods. As many as 30 consecutive monomers could be incorporated. Fluorescence changes over time could be observed in solution during the enzymatic incorporation of expanded adenine (dxATP) and cytosine (dxCTP) analogs, and after incorporation, when attached to a glass solid support. For (dxA)_n polymers, monomer emission quenching and long-wavelength excimer emission was observed. For (dxC)_n, fluorescence enhancement was observed in the polymer. TdT-mediated synthesis may be a useful approach for creating xDNA labels or tags on DNA, making use of the fluorescence and strong hybridization properties of the xDNA.

Differential fluorescence quenching of fluorescent nucleic acid base analogues by native nucleic acid monophosphates

Fluorescent nucleic acid base analogues (FBAs) are used widely as probes of DNA and RNA structure and dynamics. Of increasing utility are the pteridone adenosine analogues (6MAP, DMAP) and pteridine guanosine analogues (3MI, 6MI). These FBAs (collectively referred to as PTERs) are useful, in part, because their fluorescence quantum yields, Phi(f), are modulated by base stacking with native bases (NBs), making them sensitive reporters of DNA structure. The quenching mechanism has been hypothesized to be photoinduced electron transfer following selective excitation of the FBA, but hard evidence for this has been lacking. The degree of quenching shows some dependence on the neighboring bases, but there has been no real determination as to whether FBA*:NB complexes satisfy the basic thermodynamic requirement for spontaneous PET: a negative free energy for the electron transfer reaction. Indeed, quenching may result from entirely different mechanisms. To address these questions, Stern-Volmer (S-V) experiments were performed using the native-base monophosphate nucleotides (NMPs) GMP, AMP, CMP, and dTMP in aqueous solutions as quenchers to obtain quenching rate constants, k(q). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and optical absorption and emission data of the PTERS were obtained in aprotic organic solvents. These data were used to obtain excited-state redox potentials from which electron transfer free energies were derived using the Rehm-Weller equation. The reorganization energies for PET were obtained using the Scandola-Balzani equation, taking into account the free energy contribution due to water. 6MAP*, DMAP*, and 3MI* gave negative free energies between -0.1 and -0.2 eV and reorganization energies of about 0.13 eV. They all displayed ET activation energies below the accessible thermal energy (0.038 eV = 3/2k(B)T, where k(B) is Boltzmann's constant) for all NMPs with the exception of CMP, whose activation barrier was only about 35% higher (approximately 0.05 eV). Thus, we conclude that these PTERs act as electron acceptors and promote NMP oxidation. However, 6MI* had positive ET free energies for all NMPs with the exception of GMP (and then only for nucleobase oxidation). The magnitudes of these free energies (> or = 0.45 eV for AMP, CMP, and dTMP) suggest that 6MI* may not quenched by PET.

Conformational heterogeneity and quasi-static self-quenching in DNA containing a fluorescent guanine analogue, 3MI or 6MI

Two different microenvironments in the DNA sequence 5'-act aGa gat ccc tca gac cct ttt agt cag tGt gga-3' (in both single- and double-stranded forms) are explored using two similar fluorescent nucleoside analogues, 3MI and 6MI. Each probe was evaluated in two environments, one strand with the probe flanked by thymines (PTRT) and the other by adenines (PTRA) with positions indicated by G's in the sequence. Both time-resolved anisotropies and lifetimes of the probes depend upon local interactions, and these are altered by duplex formation. Integrals of lifetime curves compared with quantum yields reveal that each probe displays a "dark" component (below detection limits, with a lifetime of <70 ps). For 6MI in PTRA, this QSSQ "quasi-static self-quenching" or "dark" component represents approximately half the molecules, whether in single- or double-stranded form. In PTRT, 6MI displays an unusual increase in the quantum yield upon formation of the double strand (from 0.107 to 0.189) apparently the result of escape from QSSQ which simultaneously declines from 66 to 33%. This is also accompanied by doubling of steady-state anisotropy. Only 6MI in the PTRT duplex displays a rotational correlation time of >7 ns. In other words, the DS 6MI PTRA environment fails to constrain local motion and QSSQ remains the same as in the single strand; in contrast, the flanking T duplex environment restricts local motion and halves QSSQ. We collected both steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence quenching titrations of 3MI and 6MI in solution with the mononucleotides AMP, CMP, GMP, and TMP. The dynamic quenching rank of the free probes (quenching constant, kq: T > A > G > C) is totally different from that of incorporated probes. We hypothesize the production of weak 3MI.C or 6MI.C complexes that are somehow rendered less subject to dynamic quenching by collision with subsequent C molecules.

Fluorescent probing for RNA molecules by an unnatural base-pair system

Fluorescent labeling of nucleic acids is widely used in basic research and medical applications. We describe the efficient site-specific incorporation of a fluorescent base analog, 2-amino-6-(2-thienyl)purine (s), into RNA by transcription mediated by an unnatural base pair between s and pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde (Pa). The ribonucleoside 5′-triphosphate of s was site-specifically incorporated into RNA, by T7 RNA polymerase, opposite Pa in DNA templates. The fluorescent intensity of s in RNA molecules changes according to the structural environment. The site-specific s labeling of RNA hairpins and tRNA molecules provided characteristic fluorescent profiles, depending on the labeling sites, temperature and Mg²⁺ concentration. The Pa-containing DNA templates can be amplified by PCR using 7-(2-thienyl)imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (Ds), another pairing partner of Pa. This site-specific fluorescent probing by the unnatural pair system including the s-Pa and Ds-Pa pairs provides a powerful tool for studying the dynamics of the local structural features of 3D RNA molecules and their intra- and intermolecular interactions.