Mutual Relations between Substituent Effect, Hydrogen Bonding, and Aromaticity in Adenine-Uracil and Adenine-Adenine Base Pairs

The electronic structure of substituted molecules is governed, to a significant extent, by the substituent effect (SE). In this paper, SEs in selected nucleic acid base pairs (Watson-Crick, Hoogsteen, adenine-adenine) are analyzed, with special emphasis on their influence on intramolecular interactions, aromaticity, and base pair hydrogen bonding. Quantum chemistry methods-DFT calculations, the natural bond orbital (NBO) approach, the Harmonic Oscillator Model of Aromaticity (HOMA) index, the charge of the substituent active region (cSAR) model, and the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM)-are used to compare SEs acting on adenine moiety and H-bonds from various substitution positions. Comparisons of classical SEs in adenine with those observed in para- and meta-substituted benzenes allow for the better interpretation of the obtained results. Hydrogen bond stability and its other characteristics (e.g., covalency) can be significantly changed as a result of the SE, and its consequences are dependent on the substitution position. These changes allow us to investigate specific relations between H-bond parameters, leading to conclusions concerning the nature of hydrogen bonding in adenine dimers-e.g., H-bonds formed by five-membered ring nitrogen acceptor atoms have an inferior, less pronounced covalent nature as compared to those formed by six-membered ring nitrogen. The energies of individual H-bonds (obtained by the NBO method) are analyzed and compared to those predicted by the Espinosa-Molins-Lecomte (EML) model. Moreover, both SE and H-bonds can significantly affect the aromaticity of adenine rings; long-distance SEs on π-electron delocalization are also documented.

Substituted adenine quartets: interplay between substituent effect, hydrogen bonding, and aromaticity

Adenine, one of the components of DNA/RNA helices, has the ability to form self-organizing structures with cyclic hydrogen bonds (A₄), similar to guanine quartets. Here, we report a computational investigation of the effect of substituents (X = NO₂, Cl, F, H, Me, and NH₂) on the electronic structure of 9H-adenine and its quartets (A₄-N1, A₄-N3, and A₄-N7). DFT calculations were used to show the relationships between the electronic nature of the substituents, strength of H-bonds in the quartets, and aromaticity of five- and six-membered rings of adenine. We demonstrated how the remote substituent X modifies the proton-donating properties of the NH₂ group involved in the H-bonds within quartets and how the position of the substituent and its electronic nature affect the stability of the quartets. We also showed the possible changes in electronic properties of the substituent and aromaticity of adenine rings caused by tetramer formation. The results indicate that the observed relationships depend on the A₄ type. Moreover, the same substituent can both strengthen and weaken intermolecular interactions, depending on the substitution position.

Substituent effects on hydrogen bonds in adenine quartets and aromaticity of adenine rings depend on the quartet type. A₄-N3 and A₄-N7 quartets are more responsive to the electronic nature of substituents than A₄-N1.

DFT Study To Explore the Importance of Ring Size and Effect of Solvents on the Keto-Enol Tautomerization Process of α- and β-Cyclodiones

We have explored the effect of ring size on keto-enol tautomerization of α- and β-cyclodiones using the M062X-SMD_aq/6-31+G(d,p)//M062X/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory. The calculated results show that the activation free energy barrier for the keto-enol tautomerization process of α-cyclopropanedione (1) is 54.9 kcal/mol, which is lower compared to that of the other cyclic diketo systems studied here. The four-membered α- and β-cyclobutanedione (2 and 6) do not favor keto-enol tautomerization unlike other studied cyclic systems because of the ring strain developed in the transition-state geometries and their corresponding products. Water-assisted keto-enol tautomerization with one molecule reveals that the free energy activation barriers reduce almost half compared to those for the uncatalyzed systems. The two-water-assisted process is favorable as the activation free energy barriers lowered by ∼10 kcal/mol compared to those of the one-water-assisted process. The ion-pair formation seems to govern the lowering of activation barriers of α- and β-cyclodiones with two water molecules during the keto-enol tautomerization process, which however also overcomes the favorable aromatization in the three-membered ring system. The free energy activation barriers calculated with the M062X-SMD_aq/6-31+G(d,p) level predicted that the keto-enol tautomerization process for the α-cyclodiones follows the following trend: 2 > 3 > 4 > 5 > 1. Water-assisted tautomerization of α-cyclodiones also predicted 1-W and 1-2W as the most favored processes; however, 5-W and 5-2W were found to be disfavored in this case. The β-cyclodione systems also showed similar trends as obtained with α-diketone systems. The influence of bulk solvent on the keto-enol tautomerization process favors the formation of the enol form in a more polar solvent medium even under mixed solvent conditions in acetonitrile and hexane at M062X-SMD_acetonitrile/6-31+G(d,p) and M062X-SMD_hexane/6-31+G(d,p) levels of theory.

Theoretical characterization of the conformational features of unnatural oligonucleotides containing a six nucleotide genetic alphabet

The addition of the unnatural P:Z base pair to the four naturally occurring DNA bases expands the genetic alphabet and yields an artificially expanded genetic information system (AEGIS). Herein, the structural feature of oligonucleotides containing a novel unnatural P:Z base pair is characterized using both molecular dynamics and quantum chemistry. The results show that the incorporation of the novel artificial base pair (P:Z) preserves the global conformational feature of duplex DNA except for some local structures. The Z-nitro group imparts new properties to the groove width, which widens the major groove. The unnatural oligonucleotides containing mismatched base pairs exhibit low stability. This ensures efficient and high-fidelity replication. In general, the incorporation of the P:Z pair strengthens the stability of the corresponding DNA duplex. The calculated results also show that the thermostability originates from both hydrogen interaction and stacking interaction. The Z-nitro group plays an important role in enhancing the stability of the H-bonds and stacking strength of the P:Z pair. Overall, the present results provide theoretical insights in the exploration of artificially expanded genetic information systems.

DFT studies on quantum mechanical tunneling in tautomerization of three-membered rings

Amino–imino and keto–enol tautomerization processes in three-membered ring systems have been explored to examine the role of quantum mechanical tunneling along with aromaticity. The DFT calculations shed light on the role of aromaticity in tautomerization processes and as perceived this property may not contribute entirely to facilitate the formation of tautomeric forms.

The role of non-covalent interaction for the adsorption of CO2 and hydrocarbons with per-hydroxylated pillar[6]arene: a computational study

A systematic study has been performed with DFT calculations for the physisorption of CO₂, CH₄, and n-butane gases by pillar[6]arene (PA[6]) in gas phase.

Trends of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in substituted alcohols: a deeper investigation

NBO analyses were used to perform a deeper investigation on the effects that drive IAHB strength in substituted acyclic alcohols.