Fluorescence study of the physico-chemical properties of a benzo(a)pyrene 7,8-dihydrodiol 9,10-oxide derivative bound covalently to DNA

DNA–carcinogen interaction: covalent DNA-adducts of benzo(a)pyrene 7, 8-dihydrodiol 9, 10-epoxides studied by biochemical and biophysical techniques

Exposure to various chemicals, either due to occupation or lifestyle, is considered to be a major contributing factor to tumour formation in man (Higginson, 1969; Doll and Peto, 1981). An important and prevalent class of potent carcinogenic compounds present in he environment is polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are found in various petroleum and combustion products derived from heat and power generation and motor vehicle exhausts (Baum, 1978). Furthermore, since PAHs are generally formed by pyrolysis of organic matters such as tobacco smoking and certain procedures of food preparation, the PAH exposure to humans is extensive.

DNA–carcinogen interaction: covalent DNA-adducts of benzo(a)pyrene 7, 8-dihydrodiol 9, 10-epoxides studied by biochemical and biophysical techniques

Exposure to various chemicals, either due to occupation or lifestyle, is considered to be a major contributing factor to tumour formation in man (Higginson, 1969; Doll & Peto, 1981). An important and prevalent class of potent carcinogenic compounds present in the environment is polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are found in various petroleum and combustion products derived from heat and power generation and motor vehicle exhausts (Baum, 1978). Furthermore, since PAHs are generally formed by pyrolysis of organic matters such as tobacco smoking and certain procedures of food preparation, the PAH exposure to humans is extensive

DNA–carcinogen interaction: covalent DNA-adducts of benzo(a)pyrene 7, 8-dihydrodiol 9, 10-epoxides studied by biochemical and biophysical techniques

Exposure to various chemicals, either due to occupation or lifestyle, is considered to be a major contributing factor to tumour formation in man (Higginson, 1969; Doll & Peto, 1981). An important and prevalent class of potent carcinogenic compounds present in the environment is polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are found in various petroleum and combustion products derived from heat and power generation and motor vehicle exhausts (Baum, 1978). Furthermore, since PAHs are generally formed by pyrolysis of organic matters such as tobacco smoking and certain procedures of food preparation, the PAH exposure to humans is extensive.

DNA–carcinogen interaction: covalent DNA-adducts of benzo(a)pyrene 7, 8-dihydrodiol 9, 10-epoxides studied by biochemical and biophysical techniques

Exposure to various chemicals, either due to occupation or lifestyle, is considered to be a major contributing factor to tumour formation in man (Higginson, 1969; Doll and Peto, 1981). An important and prevalent class of potent carcinogeniccompounds present in the environment is polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs), which are found in various petroleum and combustion products derived from heat and power generation and motor vehicle exhausts (Baum, 1978). Furthermore, since PAHs are generally formed by pyrolysis of organic matters such as tobacco smoking and certain procedures of food preparation, the PAH exposure to humans is extensive.

Solid-matrix fluorescence quenching of benzo[e]pyrene and (+/-)-anti-dibenzo[a, l]pyrene diolepoxide-DNA adducts

The solid-matrix fluorescence (SMF) quenching of benzo[e]pyrene and (+/-)-anti-dibenzo[a, l]pyrene-11,12-diol-13,14-epoxide ((+/-)-antiDB[a, l]PDE)-DNA adducts with thallium nitrate (TlNO(3)) and sodium iodide (NaI) was examined and several SMF quenching models were developed. The SMF quenching data for B[e]P with either TlNO(3) or NaI fit a two-independent-binding-site model. However, the SMF quenching of (+/-)-anti-DB[a, l]PDE-DNA adducts with TlNO(3) fits a sphere of action model, but quenching with NaI was modeled with the two-independent-binding-site model. The data were compared with earlier SMF quenching data for 7,8,9,10-tetrahydroxytetrahydro-benzo[a]pyrene (tetrol I-1) and (+/-)-anti-benzo[a]pyrene-trans-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide ((+/-)-anti-BPDE)DNA adducts. The interpretation of the SMF quenching data for the (+/-)-anti-DB[a, l]PDE-DNA adducts was distinctively different than the interpretation of the SMF quenching data for the (+/-)-antiBPDE-DNA adducts. This initial study shows that SMF quenching has the potential to characterize polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonDNA adducts with different numbers of aromatic rings. In addition, the data indicated that external and intercalated DNA adducts interacted with heavy-atom salts in dissimilar fashions. The new SMF methodology developed is useful for the characterization of both polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-DNA adducts and metabolites from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Characterization of tetrol I-1 and (+/-)-anti-BPDE-DNA adducts with solid-matrix fluorescence quenching

The solid-matrix fluorescence (SMF) quenching of (+/-)-anti-benzo[a]pyrene-trans-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide (BPDE)-DNA adducts and a hydrolysis product of the DNA adducts, tetrol I-1, were investigated by using thallium nitrate and sodium iodide to quench the SMF. Several fluorescence quenching models were evaluated for both (+/-)-anti-BPDE-DNA adducts and tetrol I-1. The SMF quenching phenomena were quite different with the two salts for the (+/-)-anti-BPDE-DNA adducts and tetrol I-1. Generally, with thallium nitrate as a quencher, a two-site model with two independent quenching sites was applicable to both the (+/-)-anti-BPDE-DNA adducts and tetrol I-1 data. However, with sodium iodide, the SMF quenching data for tetrol I-1 were fit to the sphere of action model, but the (+/-)-anti-BPDE-DNA adducts SMF quenching data were qualitatively related to a BET isotherm. From the SMF quenching data, unique information was acquired for the quasi-intercalated BPDE-DNA adducts and the external form of the BPDE-DNA adducts. In addition, insights were obtained on how the adsorbed salts interacted with the solid matrix and with the (+/-)-anti-BPDE-DNA adducts and tetrol I-1.

Determination of benzo[a]pyrene-DNA adducts by solid-matrix phosphorescence

It has been demonstrated for the first time that linear relationships can be obtained between the solid-matrix phosphorescence (SMP) and the percent modification of benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide (BPDE)-DNA adducts. The samples of DNA were modified with BPDE at levels of 5.0 x 10(-3), 1.0 x 10(-3), 5.0 x 10(-4), 1.0 x 10(-4), 5.0 x 10(-5), and 1.0 x 10(-5%). In addition, the changes in the SMP intensities of a given percentage of DNA adduct were investigated as a function of sample size, and linear relationships were also acquired. With the different percentages of modified DNA, very good reproducibility of the SMP signals was obtained. Data were acquired with both Whatman 1PS paper and 30% TlNO3/sodium acetate as solid matrixes. The limit of detection for the BPDE-DNA adducts was 2 adducts in 10(7) bases for both Whatman 1PS paper and 30% TlNO3/sodium acetate. In addition, it was shown that it would be important to develop a standard procedure for the preparation of the BPDE-DNA samples if different batches of DNA were used in the preparation procedure.

Comparison of the solid-matrix luminescence properties of benzo(a)pyrene-DNA adducts on alpha-cyclodextrin/NaCl and trehalose/NaCl matrices

The solid-matrix luminescence properties of (+/-)-trans-7,8-dihydroxy-anti-9, 10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo(a)pyrene-DNA ([+/-]-anti-BPDE-DNA) adducts were compared on alpha-cyclodextrin (CD)/NaCl and trehalose/NaCl solid matrices. Both the optimum composition for the solid matrices and the best solvent system were obtained experimentally for acquiring the maximum room-temperature fluorescence (RTF) and room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) signals for the (+/-)-anti-BPDE-DNA. Most of the solid-matrix RTF and RTP data were obtained at 296 K and 93 K for (+/-)-anti-BPDE-DNA adducts adsorbed on 1% alpha-CD/NaCl and 80% trehalose/NaCl. The RTF signals were strong for (+/-)-BPDE-DNA adducts on both solid matrices, but RTP was only obtained on the trehalose/NaCl solid matrices with the 80% trehalose yielding the strongest RTP signal for (+/-)-anti-BPDE-DNA. The fluorescence lifetime data for (+/-)-anti-BPDE-DNA gave two components on 1% alpha-CD/NaCl. For 80% trehalose/NaCl, three components were revealed, but two components were obtained with 80% trehalose/NaCl after ether extraction of the solid matrix. The third component was ascribed to the formation of the tetrols from (+/-)-anti-BPDE-DNA adducts during the drying step in the sample preparation of 80% trehalose/NaCl. The results give the first reported data on the solid-matrix luminescence of the (+/-)-anti-BPDE-DNA adducts. These results should be of considerable interest not only from an analytical viewpoint but as a new means of studying the luminescence characteristics of the adducts.

Non-covalent DNA groove-binding by 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine

The cooked meat mutagen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenyl-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) is metabolized in vivo to electrophilic intermediates that covalently bind to DNA guanines. Here we address the mechanism of PhIP's non-covalent interaction with DNA by using spectroscopic and computational methodologies. NMR methodologies indicated that upon addition of DNA, PhIP aromatic protons underwent a small, 0.11-0.12 p.p.m. upfield shift. DNA phosphorus resonances of non-covalent PhIP-DNA complexes broadened and slightly shifted upfield, while DNA base imino proton resonances shifted slightly downfield relative to DNA alone. UV and fluorescence spectra of PhIP titrated with DNA showed no detectable shifting and hypochromism of absorbance or fluorescence bands. In the presence of DNA, PhIP fluorescence was efficiently quenched by acrylamide, but not by silver ion. Further, the NMR spectra suggest that PhIP is in fast exchange with the DNA, and is slightly specific for adenine-thymine (A-T) sequences. Finally, structural arguments based on quantum chemistry calculations suggested that PhIP and its metabolites are unlikely to intercalate into DNA. These data collectively indicate that PhIP non-covalently binds in a groove of DNA.

Fluorescence line-narrowing studies of antibody-benzo[a]pyrene tetrol complexes

Benzo[a]pyrene tetrol (BPT) was used as a fluorescent probe to investigate the nature of antigen binding by two different monoclonal antibodies (MAb) that recognize a variety of derivatives of anti-7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10- tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrenes (BPDE). Fluorescence line-narrowed spectra of the physical complexes of BPT formed with antibodies 8E11 and 3C3 were recorded at 4 K by employing vibronic excitation into the S1 electronic state. The frequencies of the vibrational modes of the S1 state were only marginally affected, though changes in relative intensities of some bands were observed. Fluorescence spectra recorded at 77 K by excitation into the S2 state showed that the (0,0) fluorescence emission of BPT was shifted to red on complex formation. Intensity ratios of the (0,0) band and the main vibrational band at 1300 cm-1 were used to assess the degree of interior binding of the chromophore. Quenching studies with acrylamide were employed to designate the complexes as type I, solvent inaccessible, or type II, solvent accessible. These studies also indicated that antibody 3C3 complexes tend to be more heterogeneous compared to the 8E11 complex. Deuterated BPT-d-12 also formed complexes with both antibodies, however, with different quenching behavior.

Fluorescence spectroscopy of benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide-DNA adducts. Conformation-specific emission spectra

The fluorescence characteristics of adducts derived from the covalent binding of the highly tumorigenic (+) and the non-tumorigenic (-) enantiomers of trans-7,8-dihydroxy-anti-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (BPDE) to native calf thymus DNA are significantly different from one another both at room temperature and at 77 K. The ratio R of fluorescence intensities of the (0,0) band I (situated near 380 nm) and vibronic band V (near 400 nm) of the pyrene ring system in the BPDE-DNA adducts and of the tetraol (BPT) hydrolysis product of BPDE is very sensitive to the polarity of the solvent, thus mimicking the well known behavior of pyrene itself (A. Nakajima, 1971, Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 44, 3272). The fluorescence excitation and emission spectra of the (+)-BPDE-DNA adducts are relatively sharp and only slightly red-shifted (2-3 nm) with respect to those of BPT in aqueous buffer solution, and R = 1.07 when the fluorescence is excited at the maximum of the absorption spectrum; this compares with R = 1.17 for BPT in water, R = 0.75 in ether, and R = 0.84 for noncovalently intercalated BPT. These results suggest that the pyrene ring system in the covalent (+)-BPDE-DNA adducts is located in an environment which is relatively exposed to the aqueous environment, while physically intercalated BPT molecules are located at hydrophobic binding sites. The fluorescence characteristics of the (-)-BPDE-DNA adducts are more heterogeneous and thus more complex than those of the (+)-adducts. The R ratio depends rather strongly on the wavelength of excitation; a minor, more highly fluorescent and relatively solvent-accessible form of adducts exhibits an R ratio of 1.01. The major, less solvent accessible form is characterized by a larger red shift in the absorption spectrum (approximately 10 nm) and emission spectrum (approximately 6 nm for the (0,0) band) relative to BPT, and an R ratio of 1.07. These characteristics suggest that the local environments of the pyrenyl residues in the (-)-BPDE-DNA adducts are significantly different from those of BPT bound noncovalently to DNA by the intercalation mechanism. Fluorescence methods, particularly at low temperatures where the bands are better resolved and the fluorescence yields are significantly greater than at room temperature, can also be used to distinguish covalent DNA adducts derived from the binding of (+)-BPDE and (-)-BPDE to native double-stranded DNA.

Adduct-induced base-shifts: a mechanism by which the adducts of bulky carcinogens might induce mutations

Most carcinogens have been shown to be mutagens, and DNA adducts are formed when mutagenic/carcinogenic substances react with DNA. It is generally believed these adducts (or their derivatives) induce misreplication events that result in mutations. Many of the more potently mutagenic substances are bulky and three-dimensionally complex, such as the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic amines, and aflatoxins; little is known about the mechanisms by which they induce mutations. Several theories exist and herein an additional mechanism is proposed by which bulky adducts might induce mutations at GC base pairs. Molecular modeling in conjunction with molecular mechanical calculation is used to assess if the mutagen/carcinogen moiety of the adduct might be able to shift the position of the base moiety of the adduct in such a way that misreplication events might be facilitated. This mechanism is referred to as adduct-induced base-shift, and two classes appeared possible; adduct-induced base-wobble and adduct-induced base-rotation. The latter has been proposed previously. By adduct-induced, base-wobble, the mutagen/carcinogen moiety of the adduct induces a shift in the position of the base moiety of the adduct with respect to the helix axis, which might facilitate mispairing events that are reminisent of non-Watson/Crick pairing that occurs at the wobble base of tRNA during translation. For example, in some guanine adducts, the guanine appears more thymine-like, which might facilitate G.A mispairing and thereby ultimately GC to TA transversion mutations. Adduct-induced base-rotation involves the rotation of the adducted base from the anti to the syn conformation and a variety of mispairing events might result.

Conformations and selective photodissociation of heterogeneous benzo(a)pyrene diol epoxide enantiomer-DNA adducts

The covalent binding of the tumorigenic (+) enantiomer and the nontumorigenic (-) enantiomer of trans-7,8-dihydroxy-anti-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,19-tetrahydrobenzo(a)pyrene (BPDE) to double-stranded native DNA gives rise to heterogeneous adducts, especially in the case of (-)-BPDE. The covalent (+)-BPDE-DNA adducts are predominantly of the external site II type, while the (-)-BPDE-DNA adducts are predominantly of the quasi-intercalative, site I type (65%), with 35% of site II adducts. The site I adducts can be selectively photodissociated with near-ultraviolet light (quantum yields in the range 0.0003-0.005); the external site II adducts (photodissociation quantum yield 3 X 10(-5) are 10-100-times more stable. The photolability of covalent (-)-BPDE-DNA adducts accounts for the discrepancies in the linear dichroism properties of these complexes reported previously. Fluorescence quenching data, previously utilized to assess the degree of solvent exposure of the pyrenyl residues in covalent adducts, were in some cases significantly influenced by the presence of highly fluorescent tetraol dissociation products. After correcting for this effect, it is shown that the fluorescence of the external site II (+)-BPDE-DNA adducts is sensitive to acrylamide, while the fluorescence of the dominant site I (-)-BPDE-DNA adducts is not affected by this fluorescence quencher, as expected for adducts with considerable carcinogen-base stacking interactions.

Sequence selectivity, a test of the nature of the covalent adduct formed between benzo[a]pyrene and DNA

A theoretical study is presented of the energetic and structural properties of covalent adducts of benzo[a]pyrene and a DNA fragment. Energy optimisation is performed with the use of minimiser with constraints and an advanced semiempirical energy formula. Three types of adducts are studied: an external complex with the benzopyrene located in the DNA minor groove and two types of intercalative complexes with the carcinogen situated on the 3' side and 5' side of the covalently bound guanine. For each of the adducts the effects of DNA base sequence are examined. It is shown that the results for the intercalative complex with the carcinogen situated on the 5' side of the modified guanine correlate with the experimentally determined sequence preference.

Origins of stereospecificity in DNA damage by anti-benzo[a]pyrene diol-epoxides. A molecular modelling study

A general computational procedure for the modelling of intercalated DNA-ligand complexes has been developed, and is used here to model intercalated complexes of the (+)-anti and (-)-anti enantiomers of benzo[a]pyrene diol-epoxide (BPDE) with cytosine-3',5'-guanosine double-stranded DNA sequences (dCpG). Results are presented indicating differences between the behaviours of the two enantiomers which have implications for the understanding of the stereospecificity of DNA strand breakage by benzo[a]pyrene diol-epoxides.

Site-specific carcinogen binding to DNA

Benzo[alpha]pyrene diol epoxide (BPDE) is a well-studied environmental carcinogen that binds covalently to DNA. Here we describe a photochemical technique that allows us to map BPDE-binding sites within cloned gene sequences. The technique is based upon our observation that, when irradiated with laser light at 355 nm, one single-strand DNA cut is produced at each BPDE binding site. In initial experiments we have studied the distribution of such cuts in cloned DNA from the chicken adult beta-globin gene. We find that BPDE binding in this gene sequence is distinctly nonrandom. While several prominent BPDE-binding sites are evident, a 300-base-pair sequence immediately 5' to the RNA cap site is most strongly attacked by the carcinogen. This region is believed to contain important transcriptional control sequences. We discuss the possibility that sequence-specific binding to such regulatory elements may be an important feature of the mechanism of the carcinogen.

Interactions of molecules with nucleic acids. X. Covalent intercalative binding of the carcinogenic BPDE I(+) to kinked DNA

A theoretical model is proposed for the covalent binding of (+) 7 beta,8 alpha-dihydroxy-9 alpha,10 alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10- tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene denoted by BPDE I(+), to N2 on guanine. The DNA must kink a minimum of 39 degrees to allow proper hybrid configurations about the C10 and N2 atoms involved in bond formation and to allow stacking of the pyrene moiety with the non-bonded adjacent base pair. Conservative (same sugar puckers and glycosidic angles as in B-DNA) and non-conservative (alternating sugar puckers as in intercalation sites) conformations are found and they are proposed structures in pathways connecting B-DNA, an intercalation site, and a kink site in the formation of a covalently intercalative bound adduct of BPDE I(+) to N2 on guanine. Stereographic projections are presented for (3') and (5') binding in the DNA. Experimental data for bending of DNA by BPDE, orientation of BPDE in DNA and unwinding of superhelical DNA is explained. The structure of a covalent intercalative complex is predicted to result from the reaction. Also, an anti----syn transition of guanine results in a structure which allows the DNA to resume its overall B-form. The only change is that guanine has been rotated by 200 degrees about its glycosidic bond so that the BPDE I(+) is bound in the major groove. The latter step may allow the DNA to be stored with an adduct which may produce an error in the genetic code.

Computer modelling studies of the covalent interactions between DNA and the enantiomers of anti-7,8-diol,9,10-epoxy-benzo[a]pyrene

The molecular structures of adducts between the + and - enantiomers of 7,8-diol 9,10-epoxy benzo[a]pyrene and a double-stranded model for DNA, have been examined by empirical energy calculations. Low-energy structures were only obtained for A form, and not B form DNA. Both + and - adducts are of approximately equal energy. Some structural differences in the orientation of the BP chromophore in the two adducts were found.

Probing the microenvironment of benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide-DNA adducts by triplet excited state quenching methods

Triplet flash photolysis techniques, coupled with quenching of the triplets by molecular oxygen, are utilized as probes of the microenvironment of polycyclic aromatic molecules bound covalently and non-covalently to DNA. The triplet-oxygen quenching properties of the following adducts in aqueous solutions at 25 +/- 1 degrees C were investigated: covalent adducts derived from the reaction of (+/-)-7 beta,8 alpha-dihydroxy-9 alpha,10 alpha-epoxy-7,8,9, 10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (BaPDE) and of (+/-)-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (BaPE) with DNA, and non-covalent intercalation complexes of acridine orange (AO) and DNA. In all cases the quenching follows the Stern-Volmer quenching law with a quenching constant of KTO2 approximately equal to 10(9) M-1 X S-1 for the covalent BaPDE-DNA and BaPE-DNA complexes in aqueous solution. This value of KTO2 is characteristic of free molecules (not bound to DNA) and indicates that the pyrene chromophore is totally accessible to oxygen, and is thus not located at an intercalation-type of binding site in these covalent adducts. In contrast, the AO-DNA complexes are characterized by values of KTO2 approximately equal to 10(8) M-1 X S-1 indicating that the intercalated AO molecules are about ten times less accessible to molecular oxygen than free AO molecules. The KTO2 values for the covalent BaPDE-DNA and BaPE-DNA adducts decrease when the DNA concentration is increased in the 1 X 10(-4)-3 X 10(-3) M range (expressed in nucleotide concentration). This effect is attributed to intermolecular DNA-DNA interactions in which segments of adjacent DNA molecules tend to cover the pyrene chromophores on other strands, thus decreasing their accessibility to oxygen. In contrast the values of KTO2 for the non-covalent AO-DNA intercalation complexes are independent of DNA concentration, as expected for interior binding sites.

Distinct local environments of the pyrene chromophores in the covalent deoxyribonucleic acid adducts of 9,10-epoxy-9,10,11,12-tetrahydrobenzo[e]pyrene and 7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene elucidated by optically detected magnetic resonance

The optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) spectra of the covalent DNA adduct of 9,10-epoxy-9,10,11,12-tetrahydrobenzo[e]pyrene (BePE) reveal that the excited triplet state chromophore is perturbed by the nucleic acid and that this perturbation is diminished successively by denaturation and enzymatic hydrolysis of the modified DNA, indicating that the adduct resides in an environment with some quasi-intercalative character. In contrast the covalent adduct of 7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene shows little ODMR evidence of interaction with the nucleic acid, which, in view of ODMR's sensitivity demonstrated for the BePE adduct, suggests that the chromophore is situated in an environment resembling the bulk solvent. These results demonstrate that ODMR is more sensitive than conventional phosphorescence techniques to interactions between these pyrene-like chromophores and DNA.

Frameshift mutations: relative roles of simple intercalation and of adduct formation

The contribution of "simple" intercalation and of adduct formation on the expression of frameshift mutations in Salmonella typhimurium was investigated using 9-aminoacridine and derivatives capable of either only intercalating between DNA base pairs or of forming adducts with DNA as well. For a chemical capable of intercalating as well as of forming an adduct, only a small portion of the frameshift mutagenicity is due to "simple" intercalation. Analogs only able to induce frameshift mutations as a result of intercalation generally display only a fraction (approx. 1%) of the frameshift activity of the analog capable of forming DNA adducts.

A transversion mutation hypothesis for chemical carcinogenesis by N2-substitution of guanine in DNA

Several carcinogenic aromatic amines and polycyclic hydrocarbons react covalently with the exocyclic amino group (N2) of guanine in DNA. In this study, space-filling molecular models of DNA containing N2-guanyl adducts of 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) or benzo[a]pyrene (BP) were constructued. From these models and from available physico-chemical data, it is suggested that the N2 adducts may be easily converted from the normal anti to a syn conformation (base/deoxyribose). This confuguration causes minimal distortion of the DNA model with only a 2--3 A shift in the helical axis of symmetry. Such an alteration may account for the persistence of these adducts in DNA and for the frameshift mutations induced by these carcinogens. Additionally, the syn N2-guanyl configuration places the N-7 and O6 atoms of the modified syn guanine in the base pairing region such that, duration replication, mispairing with N-1 and N2 of an opposite guanine may occur. This would then represent a carcinogen-induced transversion mutation and may lead to neoplastic transformation.

DNA alkylation and unwinding induced by benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide: modulation by ionic strength and superhelicity

Superhelical and partially relaxed DNAs of simian virus 40 were allowed to react in vitro with (+/-)-7 beta,8 alpha-dihydroxy-9 alpha,10 alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (BaP diol epoxide). The modified DNA contained N2 guanine and N6 adenine hydrocarbon adducts in the ratio 86:14. Superhelical simian virus 40 DNA was approximately 6% more susceptible to modification than was partially relaxed viral DNA. Counterions inhibited DNA alkylation by up to 90%, Mg2+ being 50-fold more effective than Na+. The sensitivity of covalent binding to helix stability is consistent with a reaction complex in which BaP diol epoxide is intercalated. The superhelical density of the modified DNA substrates was determined electrophoretically relative to partially relaxed standards, and an unwinding angle for the hydrocarbon adducts was calculated. The angle was dependent upon the superhelicity of the DNA molecule and ranged from 330 degrees to 30 degrees. These data indicate that the modified base pairs are disrupted and, in the presence of torsional strain, act as centers for the further denaturation of up to eight adjacent base pairs. In the absence of such strain the alkylation sites have an ordered structure, with the attached hydrocarbon probably oriented in the minor or major groove of the helix.

Benzo(a)pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol 9,10-oxide adenosine and deoxyadenosine adducts: structure and stereochemistry

The structure and absolute stereoconfigurations of four adenosine adducts with (+/-)-7 alpha,8 beta-dihydroxy-9 beta, 10 beta-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo(a)pyrene (BPDE) and their deoxyadenosine analogs have been determined. They result from both cis and trans addition of the N6 amino group of ademine to the 10 position of both enantiomers of BDPE. This was determined from studies of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, mass spectra, and circular dichroism spectra, as well as from their pKa values and chemical reactivities.

Modification of deoxyribonucleic acid by a diol epoxide of benzo[a]pyrene. Relation to deoxyribonucleic acid structure and conformation and effects on transfectional activity

The effects of secondary structure on DNA modification by (+/-)-7 beta, 9 alpha-dihydroxy-9 alpha, 10 alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzol[a]pyrene [(+/-)BPDE I] were investigated. No differences in the total extent of (+/-) BPDE I binding to double- and single-stranded calf thymus DNA were found. High-performance liquid chromatography (LC) of the nucleoside adducts obtained from hydrolysates of native and denatured calf thymus, as well as from superhelical and linear plasmid DNA, indicated that in all cases the major adduct (60--80% of total adducts) was formed by reaction of the (+) enantiomer of BPDE I with the N-2 position of dG residues in the DNA. A minor adduct formed from the reaction of the (-) enantiomer with dG residues was also detected and was present in greater amounts in denautred DNA than in native DNA. Small amounts of BPDE I--dA and BPDE I--dC adducts were also detected in both the single- and double-stranded DNAs. Restriction enzyme analysis of BPDE I modified SV40 and phage lambda DNA provided evidence that the modification of DNA by this carcinogen is fairly random with respect to nucleotide sequence. Partial hydrolysis of modified plasmid DNA by the single-strand-specific S1 nuclease and LC analysis of the nucleoside adducts in the digested and undigested fractions of the DNA revealed no preferential excision by the S1 nuclease of the different BPDE I--deoxynucleoside adducts. Functional changes in BPDE I modified DNA were demonstrated. With increasing extents of modification, there was a decrease in the ability of plasmid DNA to transfect a receptive Escherichia coli strain to antibiotic resistance.