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Sorour MI, Kistler KA, Marcus AH, Matsika S. Molecular Dynamical and Quantum Mechanical Exploration of the Site-Specific Dynamics of Cy3 Dimers Internally Linked to dsDNA. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:7750-7760. [PMID: 39105720 PMCID: PMC11343064 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c03115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
Performing spectroscopic measurements on biomolecules labeled with fluorescent probes is a powerful approach to locating the molecular behavior and dynamics of large systems at specific sites within their local environments. The indocarbocyanine dye Cy3 has emerged as one of the most commonly used chromophores. The incorporation of Cy3 dimers into DNA enhances experimental resolution owing to the spectral characteristics influenced by the geometric orientation of excitonically coupled monomeric units. Various theoretical models and simulations have been utilized to aid in the interpretation of the experimental spectra. In this study, we employ all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to study the structural dynamics of Cy3 dimers internally linked to the dsDNA backbone. We used quantum mechanical calculations to derive insights from both the linear absorption spectra and the circular dichroism data. Furthermore, we explore potential limitations within a commonly used force field for cyanine dyes. The molecular dynamics simulations suggest the presence of four possible Cy3 dimeric populations. The spectral simulations on the four populations show one of them to agree better with the experimental signatures, suggesting it to be the dominant population. The relative orientation of Cy3 in this population compares very well with previous predictions from the Holstein-Frenkel Hamiltonian model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed I Sorour
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
| | - Kurt A Kistler
- Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, Brandywine Campus, Media, Pennsylvania 19063, United States
| | - Andrew H Marcus
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, United States
| | - Spiridoula Matsika
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
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2
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Marcus AH, Matsika S, Heussman D, Sorour MI, Maurer J, Albrecht CS, Enkhbaatar L, Herbert P, Kistler KA, von Hippel PH. Spectroscopic approaches for studies of site-specific DNA base and backbone 'breathing' using exciton-coupled dimer-labeled DNA. ARXIV 2024:arXiv:2403.16251v2. [PMID: 38584614 PMCID: PMC10996769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
DNA regulation and repair processes require direct interactions between proteins and DNA at specific sites. Local fluctuations of the sugar-phosphate backbones and bases of DNA (a form of DNA 'breathing') play a central role in such processes. Here we review the development and application of novel spectroscopic methods and analyses - both at the ensemble and single-molecule levels - to study structural and dynamic properties of exciton-coupled cyanine and fluorescent nucleobase analogue dimer-labeled DNA constructs at key positions involved in protein-DNA complex assembly and function. The exciton-coupled dimer probes act as 'sensors' of the local conformations adopted by the sugar-phosphate backbones and bases immediately surrounding the dimer probes. These methods can be used to study the mechanisms of protein binding and function at these sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew H. Marcus
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Spiridoula Matsika
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122
| | - Dylan Heussman
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Mohammed I. Sorour
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122
| | - Jack Maurer
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Claire S. Albrecht
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Physics, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Lulu Enkhbaatar
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Patrick Herbert
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Kurt A. Kistler
- Department of Chemistry, Brandywine Campus, The Pennsylvania State University, Media, Pennsylvania 19063
| | - Peter H. von Hippel
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
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3
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Guha A, Whaley-Mayda L, Lee SY, Tokmakoff A. Molecular factors determining brightness in fluorescence-encoded infrared vibrational spectroscopy. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:104202. [PMID: 38456530 DOI: 10.1063/5.0190231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Fluorescence-encoded infrared (FEIR) spectroscopy is a recently developed technique for solution-phase vibrational spectroscopy with detection sensitivity at the single-molecule level. While its spectroscopic information content and important criteria for its practical experimental optimization have been identified, a general understanding of the electronic and nuclear properties required for highly sensitive detection, i.e., what makes a molecule a "good FEIR chromophore," is lacking. This work explores the molecular factors that determine FEIR vibrational activity and assesses computational approaches for its prediction. We employ density functional theory (DFT) and its time-dependent version (TD-DFT) to compute vibrational and electronic transition dipole moments, their relative orientation, and the Franck-Condon factors involved in FEIR activity. We apply these methods to compute the FEIR activities of normal modes of chromophores from the coumarin family and compare these predictions with experimental FEIR cross sections. We discuss the extent to which we can use computational models to predict the FEIR activity of individual vibrations in a candidate molecule. The results discussed in this work provide the groundwork for computational strategies for choosing FEIR vibrational probes or informing the structure of designer chromophores for single-molecule spectroscopic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhirup Guha
- Department of Chemistry, James Franck Institute, and Institute of Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Lukas Whaley-Mayda
- Department of Chemistry, James Franck Institute, and Institute of Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Seung Yeon Lee
- Department of Chemistry, James Franck Institute, and Institute of Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Andrei Tokmakoff
- Department of Chemistry, James Franck Institute, and Institute of Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
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4
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Heussman D, Enkhbaatar L, Sorour MI, Kistler KA, von Hippel PH, Matsika S, Marcus AH. Using transition density models to interpret experimental optical spectra of exciton-coupled cyanine (iCy3)2 dimer probes of local DNA conformations at or near functional protein binding sites. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:1272-1289. [PMID: 38050987 PMCID: PMC10853810 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Exciton-coupled chromophore dimers are an emerging class of optical probes for studies of site-specific biomolecular interactions. Applying accurate theoretical models for the electrostatic coupling of a molecular dimer probe is a key step for simulating its optical properties and analyzing spectroscopic data. In this work, we compare experimental absorbance and circular dichroism (CD) spectra of 'internally-labeled' (iCy3)2 dimer probes inserted site-specifically into DNA fork constructs to theoretical calculations of the structure and geometry of these exciton-coupled dimers. We compare transition density models of varying levels of approximation to determine conformational parameters of the (iCy3)2 dimer-labeled DNA fork constructs. By applying an atomistically detailed transition charge (TQ) model, we can distinguish between dimer conformations in which the stacking and tilt angles between planar iCy3 monomers are varied. A major strength of this approach is that the local conformations of the (iCy3)2 dimer probes that we determined can be used to infer information about the structures of the DNA framework immediately surrounding the probes at various positions within the constructs, both deep in the duplex DNA sequences and at sites at or near the DNA fork junctions where protein complexes bind to discharge their biological functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan Heussman
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Lulu Enkhbaatar
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Mohammed I Sorour
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Kurt A Kistler
- Department of Chemistry, Brandywine Campus, The Pennsylvania State University, Media, PA 19063, USA
| | - Peter H von Hippel
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | | | - Andrew H Marcus
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
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5
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Maurer J, Albrecht CS, Herbert P, Heussman D, Chang A, von Hippel PH, Marcus AH. Studies of DNA breathing in exciton-coupled (iCy3) 2 dimer-labeled DNA constructs by polarization-sweep single-molecule fluorescence (PS-SMF) microscopy. PROCEEDINGS OF SPIE--THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR OPTICAL ENGINEERING 2024; 12863:128630C. [PMID: 39149417 PMCID: PMC11326516 DOI: 10.1117/12.3001962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Local fluctuations of the sugar-phosphate backbones and bases of DNA (a form of DNA 'breathing') play a central role in the assembly of protein-DNA complexes. We present a single-molecule fluorescence method to sensitively measure the local conformational fluctuations of exciton-coupled cyanine [(iCy3)2] dimer-labeled DNA fork constructs in which the dimer probes are placed at varying positions relative to the DNA fork junction. These systems exhibit spectroscopic signals that are sensitive to the local conformations adopted by the sugar-phosphate backbones and bases immediately surrounding the dimer probe label positions. The (iCy3)2 dimer has one symmetric (+) and one anti-symmetric (-) exciton with respective transition dipole moments oriented perpendicular to one another. We excite single molecule samples using a continuous-wave, linearly polarized laser with its polarization direction rotated at a frequency of 1 MHz. The ensuing fluorescence signal is modulated as the laser polarization alternately excites the symmetric and anti-symmetric excitons of the (iCy3)2 dimer probe. Phase-sensitive detection of the signal at the photon-counting level provides information about the distribution of local conformations and conformational dynamics. We analyze our data using a kinetic network model, which we use to parametrize the free energy surface of the system. In addition to observing DNA breathing at and near ss-dsDNA junctions, the approach can be used to study the effects of proteins that bind and function at these sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Maurer
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Claire S Albrecht
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Patrick Herbert
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Dylan Heussman
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Anabel Chang
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Peter H von Hippel
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Andrew H Marcus
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
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6
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Wenzel M, Mitric R. Prediction of fluorescence quantum yields using the extended thawed Gaussian approximation. J Chem Phys 2023; 159:234113. [PMID: 38108487 DOI: 10.1063/5.0178106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous emission and internal conversion rates are calculated within harmonic approximations and compared to the results obtained within the semi-classical extended thawed Gaussian approximation (ETGA). This is the first application of the ETGA in the calculation of internal conversion and emission rates for real molecular systems, namely, formaldehyde, fluorobenzene, azulene, and a dicyano-squaraine dye. The viability of the models as black-box tools for prediction of spontaneous emission and internal conversion rates is assessed. All calculations were done using a consistent protocol in order to investigate how different methods perform without previous experimental knowledge using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) with B3LYP, PBE0, ωB97XD, and CAM-B3LYP functionals. Contrasting the results with experimental data shows that there are further improvements required before theoretical predictions of emission and internal conversion rates can be used as reliable indicators for the photo-luminescence properties of molecules. We find that the ETGA performs rather similar to the vertical harmonical model. Including anharmonicities in the calculation of internal conversion rates has a moderate effect on the quantitative results in the studied systems. The emission rates are fairly stable with respect to computational parameters, but the internal conversion rate reveals itself to be highly dependent on the choice of the spectral line shape function, particularly the width of the Lorentzian function, associated with homogeneous broadening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Wenzel
- Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Universität Würzburg, Emil-Fischer Str. 42, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Roland Mitric
- Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Universität Würzburg, Emil-Fischer Str. 42, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
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7
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Sorour MI, Marcus AH, Matsika S. Unravelling the Origin of the Vibronic Spectral Signatures in an Excitonically Coupled Indocarbocyanine Cy3 Dimer. J Phys Chem A 2023; 127:9530-9540. [PMID: 37934679 PMCID: PMC10774018 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.3c06090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
The indocarbocyanine Cy3 dye is widely used to probe the dynamics of proteins and DNA. Excitonically coupled Cy3 dimers exhibit very unique spectral signatures that depend on the interchromophoric geometrical orientation induced by the environment, making them powerful tools to infer the dynamics of their surroundings. Understanding the origin of the dimeric spectral signatures is a necessity for an accurate interpretation of the experimental results. In this work, we simulate the vibronic spectrum of an experimentally well-studied Cy3 dimer, and we explain the origin of the experimental signatures present in its linear absorption spectrum. The Franck-Condon harmonic approximations, among other tests, are used to probe the factors contributing to the spectrum. It is found that the first peak in the absorption spectrum originates from the lower energy excitonic state, while the next two peaks are vibrational progressions of the higher energy excitonic state. The polar solvent plays a crucial role in the appearance of the spectrum, being responsible for the localized S1 minimum, which results in an increased intensity of the first peak.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed I Sorour
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
| | - Andrew H Marcus
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, United States
| | - Spiridoula Matsika
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
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8
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Lu Y, Sen K, Yong C, Gunn DSD, Purton JA, Guan J, Desmoutier A, Abdul Nasir J, Zhang X, Zhu L, Hou Q, Jackson-Masters J, Watts S, Hanson R, Thomas HN, Jayawardena O, Logsdail AJ, Woodley SM, Senn HM, Sherwood P, Catlow CRA, Sokol AA, Keal TW. Multiscale QM/MM modelling of catalytic systems with ChemShell. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:21816-21835. [PMID: 37097706 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp00648d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methods are a powerful computational tool for the investigation of all forms of catalysis, as they allow for an accurate description of reactions occurring at catalytic sites in the context of a complicated electrostatic environment. The scriptable computational chemistry environment ChemShell is a leading software package for QM/MM calculations, providing a flexible, high performance framework for modelling both biomolecular and materials catalysis. We present an overview of recent applications of ChemShell to problems in catalysis and review new functionality introduced into the redeveloped Python-based version of ChemShell to support catalytic modelling. These include a fully guided workflow for biomolecular QM/MM modelling, starting from an experimental structure, a periodic QM/MM embedding scheme to support modelling of metallic materials, and a comprehensive set of tutorials for biomolecular and materials modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- You Lu
- STFC Scientific Computing, Daresbury Laboratory, Keckwick Lane, Daresbury, Warrington, WA4 4AD, UK.
| | - Kakali Sen
- STFC Scientific Computing, Daresbury Laboratory, Keckwick Lane, Daresbury, Warrington, WA4 4AD, UK.
| | - Chin Yong
- STFC Scientific Computing, Daresbury Laboratory, Keckwick Lane, Daresbury, Warrington, WA4 4AD, UK.
| | - David S D Gunn
- STFC Scientific Computing, Daresbury Laboratory, Keckwick Lane, Daresbury, Warrington, WA4 4AD, UK.
| | - John A Purton
- STFC Scientific Computing, Daresbury Laboratory, Keckwick Lane, Daresbury, Warrington, WA4 4AD, UK.
| | - Jingcheng Guan
- Kathleen Lonsdale Materials Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Alec Desmoutier
- Kathleen Lonsdale Materials Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Jamal Abdul Nasir
- Kathleen Lonsdale Materials Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Xingfan Zhang
- Kathleen Lonsdale Materials Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Lei Zhu
- Kathleen Lonsdale Materials Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Qing Hou
- Kathleen Lonsdale Materials Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Joe Jackson-Masters
- Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Sam Watts
- Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Rowan Hanson
- Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Harry N Thomas
- Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Omal Jayawardena
- Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Andrew J Logsdail
- Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Scott M Woodley
- Kathleen Lonsdale Materials Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Hans M Senn
- School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Joseph Black Building, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Paul Sherwood
- Department of Chemistry, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, UK
| | - C Richard A Catlow
- Kathleen Lonsdale Materials Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
- Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Alexey A Sokol
- Kathleen Lonsdale Materials Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Thomas W Keal
- STFC Scientific Computing, Daresbury Laboratory, Keckwick Lane, Daresbury, Warrington, WA4 4AD, UK.
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9
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Marcus AH, Heussman D, Maurer J, Albrecht CS, Herbert P, von Hippel PH. Studies of Local DNA Backbone Conformation and Conformational Disorder Using Site-Specific Exciton-Coupled Dimer Probe Spectroscopy. Annu Rev Phys Chem 2023; 74:245-265. [PMID: 36696590 PMCID: PMC10590263 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-physchem-090419-041204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The processes of genome expression, regulation, and repair require direct interactions between proteins and DNA at specific sites located at and near single-stranded-double-stranded DNA (ssDNA-dsDNA) junctions. Here, we review the application of recently developed spectroscopic methods and analyses that combine linear absorbance and circular dichroism spectroscopy with nonlinear 2D fluorescence spectroscopy to study the local conformations and conformational disorder of the sugar-phosphate backbones of ssDNA-dsDNA fork constructs that have been internally labeled with exciton-coupled cyanine (iCy3)2 dimer probes. With the application of these methods, the (iCy3)2 dimer can serve as a reliable probe of the mean local conformations and conformational distributions of the sugar-phosphate backbones of dsDNA at various critical positions. The results of our studies suggest a possible structural framework for understanding the roles of DNA breathing in driving the processes of protein-DNA complex assembly and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew H Marcus
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA;
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Dylan Heussman
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA;
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Jack Maurer
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA;
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Claire S Albrecht
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA;
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Patrick Herbert
- Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA;
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Peter H von Hippel
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
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10
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Wenzel M, Mitric R. Internal conversion rates from the extended thawed Gaussian approximation: Theory and validation. J Chem Phys 2023; 158:034105. [PMID: 36681643 DOI: 10.1063/5.0130340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The theoretical prediction of the rates of nonradiative processes in molecules is fundamental in assessing their emissive properties. In this context, global harmonic models have been widely used to simulate vibronic spectra as well as internal conversion rates and to predict photoluminescence quantum yields. However, these simplified models suffer from the limitations that are inherent to the harmonic approximation and can have a severe effect on the calculated internal conversion rates. Therefore, the development of more accurate semiclassical methods is highly desirable. Here, we introduce a procedure for the calculation of nonradiative rates in the framework of the time-dependent semi-classical Extended Thawed Gaussian Approximation (ETGA). We systematically investigate the performance of the ETGA method by comparing it to the adiabatic and vertical harmonic methods, which belong to the class of widely used global harmonic models. Its performance is tested in potentials that cannot be treated adequately by global harmonic models, beginning with Morse potentials of varying anharmonicity followed by a double well potential. The calculated radiative and nonradiative internal conversion rates are compared to reference values based on exact quantum dynamics. We find that the ETGA has the capability to predict internal conversion rates in anharmonic systems with an appreciable energy gap, whereas the global harmonic models prove to be insufficient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Wenzel
- Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Universität Würzburg, Emil-Fischer Str. 42, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Roland Mitric
- Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Universität Würzburg, Emil-Fischer Str. 42, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
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