Interactions of sulfur-containing acridine ligands with DNA by ESI-MS

Mass Spectrometry of Nucleic Acid Noncovalent Complexes

Nucleic acids have been among the first targets for antitumor drugs and antibiotics. With the unveiling of new biological roles in regulation of gene expression, specific DNA and RNA structures have become very attractive targets, especially when the corresponding proteins are undruggable. Biophysical assays to assess target structure as well as ligand binding stoichiometry, affinity, specificity, and binding modes are part of the drug development process. Mass spectrometry offers unique advantages as a biophysical method owing to its ability to distinguish each stoichiometry present in a mixture. In addition, advanced mass spectrometry approaches (reactive probing, fragmentation techniques, ion mobility spectrometry, ion spectroscopy) provide more detailed information on the complexes. Here, we review the fundamentals of mass spectrometry and all its particularities when studying noncovalent nucleic acid structures, and then review what has been learned thanks to mass spectrometry on nucleic acid structures, self-assemblies (e.g., duplexes or G-quadruplexes), and their complexes with ligands.

A shortcut organic dye-based staining method for the detection of DNA both in agarose and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

In this study, we describe a brief, sensitive and safe organic dye-based staining method for the visualization of DNA both in agarose and polyacrylamide gels by using Victoria Pure Blue BO (VPBBO). Down to 0.8-1.6 ng of λ DNA/HindIII markers in agarose gels and 0.4-0.8 ng of pUC18 DNA/Mspl markers in polyacrylamide gels can be successfully detected within 15 and 10 min by the new developed technique, respectively. Moreover, the mechanism of the VPBBO staining was investigated and further confirmed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and molecular docking. The results indicated that the interaction between VPBBO and DNA is mainly due to groove binding.

Tandem mass spectrometry for characterization of covalent adducts of DNA with anticancer therapeutics

The chemotherapeutic activities of many anticancer and antibacterial drugs arise from their interactions with nucleic acid substrates. Some of these ligands interact with DNA in a way that causes conformational changes or damage to the nucleic acid targets, ultimately altering recognition by key DNA-specific enzymes, interfering with DNA transcription or prohibiting replication, and terminating cell growth and proliferation. The design and synthesis of ligands that bind to nucleic acids remains a dynamic field in medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical research. The quest for more selective and efficacious DNA-interactive anticancer chemotherapeutics has likewise catalyzed the need for sensitive analytical methods that can provide structural information about the nature of the resulting DNA adducts and provide insight into the mechanistic pathways of the DNA/drug interactions and the impact on the cellular processes in biological systems. This review focuses on the array of tandem mass spectrometric strategies developed and applied for characterization of covalent adducts formed between DNA and anticancer ligands.

Rapid characterization of cross-links, mono-adducts, and non-covalent binding of psoralens to deoxyoligonucleotides by LC-UV/ESI-MS and IRMPD mass spectrometry

Upon UV photoactivation, psoralen analogs form covalent mono-adducts and cross-links with DNA at thymine residues. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometric analysis allowed rapid and efficient determination of the reaction percentages of each psoralen analog with DNA duplexes containing different binding sites after exposure to UV irradiation. The distribution of cross-linked products and mono-adducts was monitored by both LC-UV and IRMPD-MS methods with the highest ratio of cross-linked products to mono-adducts obtained for 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP), psoralen (P), and 5-methoxypsoralen (5-MOP). Reactions at 5'-TA sites were favored over 5'-AT sites, and duplexes containing two and three binding sites showed extensive binding by the psoralens. 4'-Aminomethyl-4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen (AMP) bound non-selectively via non-covalent interactions and was the only psoralen analog to show significant binding in the absence of UV irradiation. 8-MOP binding displayed the greatest sequence selectivity among the psoralen analogs. The sites of interstrand cross-linking were determined by fragmentation of the duplex/psoralen complexes by infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD), which produced cross-linked product ions containing an intact single strand, the psoralen analog, and either a w(n) or a(n)-B portion of the complementary strand. IRMPD of DNA/AMP complexes after UV irradiation also produced high abundances of the intact single strands with the AMP ligand attached, products indicative of a significant population of mono-adducts.

Evaluation of DNA/Ligand interactions by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) has enabled the detection and characterization of DNA/ligand complexes, including evaluation of both relative binding affinities and selectivities of DNA-interactive ligands. The noncovalent complexes that are transferred from the solution to the gas phase retain the signature of the native species, thus allowing the use of MS to screen DNA/ligand complexes, reveal the stoichiometries of the complexes, and provide insight into the nature of the interactions. Ligands that bind to DNA via metal-mediated modes and those that bind to unusual DNA structures, such as quadruplexes, are amenable to ESI. Chemical probe methods applied to DNA/ligand complexes with ESI-MS detection afford information about ligand-binding sites and conformational changes of DNA that occur upon ligand binding.