Innate recognition of non-self nucleic acids

The immune system has evolved a plethora of innate receptors that detect microbial DNA and RNA, including Toll-like receptors in the endosomal compartment and RIG-I-like receptors and Nod-like receptors in the cytosol. Here we discuss the recognition of and responses to non-self nucleic acids via these receptors as well as their involvement in autoimmune diseases.     

Selective chemical autoligation on a double-stranded DNA template.

We show that a double-stranded DNA segment serves as an effective template for spontaneously coupling short pyrimidine oligonucleotides containing terminal -P(O)(O-)S- and BrCH2C(O)NH- groups. The efficiency of this autoligation depends markedly on proper base-pairing between the probe oligomers and the double-stranded target. This chemistry should be useful in designing highly selective probes for double-stranded polynucleotide segments.     

Accurate ab initio prediction of NMR chemical shifts of nucleic acids and nucleic acids/protein complexes

NMR chemical shift predictions based on empirical methods are nowadays indispensable tools during resonance assignment and 3D structure calculation of proteins. However, owing to the very limited statistical data basis, such methods are still in their infancy in the field of nucleic acids, especially when non-canonical structures and nucleic acid complexes are considered. Here, we present an ab initio approach for predicting proton chemical shifts of arbitrary nucleic acid structures based on state-of-the-art fragment-based quantum chemical calculations. We tested our prediction method on a diverse set of nucleic acid structures including double-stranded DNA, hairpins, DNA/protein complexes and chemically-modified DNA. Overall, our quantum chemical calculations yield highly/very accurate predictions with mean absolute deviations of 0.3–0.6 ppm and correlation coefficients (r²) usually above 0.9. This will allow for identifying misassignments and validating 3D structures. Furthermore, our calculations reveal that chemical shifts of protons involved in hydrogen bonding are predicted significantly less accurately. This is in part caused by insufficient inclusion of solvation effects. However, it also points toward shortcomings of current force fields used for structure determination of nucleic acids. Our quantum chemical calculations could therefore provide input for force field optimization.     

Equilibrium binding of four anthracyclines to nucleic acids: thermodynamic properties and sequence selectivity.

The thermodynamic parameters of the interaction of the two anthracyclines 13-dihydrodaunomycin and marcellomycin with calf thymus DNA were examined by equilibrium binding studies. Enthalpy and entropy changes of the binding of both drugs show salt dependence profiles that cannot be rationalized by the polyelectrolyte theory. This feature is common to other anthracycline compounds. The nucleotide sequence binding preferences of daunomycin, adriamycin, 13-dihydrodaunomycin and marcellomycin have been studied by monitoring the degree of protection from cleavage by restriction endonucleases of linearized pBR322. Differential protection of pBR322 DNA against the cleavage of Bgl I and Ava II suggests that these drugs recognize changes in the sequences near the enzyme recognition site. Alterations of the electrophoretic restriction pattern of pBR322 in the presence of anthracyclines are dependent on time and on concentration. These results are discussed in relation to the existence of nucleotide sequences with different affinity for these drugs.     

Interaction of nucleic acids. VI. Interaction of purine with nucleic acids

The interaction of purine with DNA, tRNA, poly A, poly C, and poly A. poly U complex was investigated. In the presence of purine, the nucleic acids in coil form (such as denatured DNA, poly A and poly C in neutral solutions, or tRNA) have lower optical rotations. In addition, hydrodynamic studies indicate that in purine solutions the denatured DNA has a higher viscosity and a decreased sedimentation coefficient. These findings indicate that through interaction with purine, the bases along the poly-nucleotide chain are unstacked and are separated farther from each other, resulting in increased assymmetry (and possibly volume) of the whole polymer. Thus, the de-naturation effect of purine reported previously can be explained by this preferential interaction of purine with the bases of nucleic acids in coil form through a hydrophobic-costacking mechanism. Results from studies on optical rotation and helix-coil transition show that the interaction of purine is greater with poly A than with poly C. The influence of temperature, Mg⁺⁺ concentration, ionic strength, and purine concentration on the effect of purine on nucleic acid conformation has also been investigated. In all these situations the unraveling of nucleic acid conformation occurs at much lower temperatures (20–40°C lower) in the presence of purine (0.2–0.6M).     

Ligation of oligonucleotides to nucleic acids or proteins via disulfide bonds.

We have developed general methods for joining together, via cleavable disulfide bonds, either two unprotected polynucleotides or a polynucleotide and a peptide or protein. To join two oligonucleotides, each is first converted to an adduct in which cystamine is joined to the 5'-terminal phosphate of the oligonucleotide by a phosphoramidate bond. The adducts are mixed and reduced with dithiothreitol. The dithiothreitol is then removed by dialysis. Oxidation by atmospheric oxygen occurs to yield the required dimer. To join an oligonucleotide to a cysteine-containing peptide or protein, the 5'-cystamine oligomer is first converted to a 2'-pyridyldisulfide adduct and then reacted with an excess of the peptide or protein. If the peptide does not contain a free cysteine residue, it is first treated with iminothiolane to introduce one or more sulfhydryl groups. We have used these procedures to join a 16 mer deoxynucleotide probe and MDV-1 RNA, a substrate of Q beta RNA polymerase. This adduct hybridizes with a complementary target DNA. We have also joined a 16mer probe to peroxidase and MDV-1 RNA to human IgG. The probe-peroxidase adduct maintains enzymatic activity and the MDV-1 RNA-IgG adduct binds to a complementary anti-IgG.     

Affinity adsorbents consisting of nucleic acids immobilized via bisoxirane activated polysaccharides.

An easy and efficient procedure for the immobilization of polynucleotide ligands to bisoxirane activated insoluble polysaccharides has been elaborated and is described in this paper. The resulting materials have been applied to the chromatography of DNA polymerase I, and RNA polymerase from E.coli. Because of their extraordinary stability to temperature, formamide, and alkaline conditions they seem to be particularly useful adsorbents for nucleic acid hybridization.     

Quadruplex structures in nucleic acids.

DNA oligonucleotides that have repetitive tracts of guanine bases can form G-quadruplex structures that display an amazing polymorphism. Structures of several new G-quadruplexes have been solved recently that greatly expand the known structural motifs observed in nucleic acid quadruplexes. Base triads, base hexads, and quartets that contain cytosine have recently been identified stacked over the familiar G-quartets. The current status of the diverse array of structural features in quadruplexes is described and used to provide insight into the polymorphism and folding pathways. This review also summarizes recent progress in the techniques used to probe the structures of G-quadruplexes and discusses the role of ion binding in quadruplex formation. Several of the quadruplex structures featured in this review can be accessed in the online version of this review as CHIME representations.     

Spin labeled nucleic acids.

Homopolyribonucleotides and E. coli DNA wer spin labeled with an iodoacetamide-nitroxide compound. The extent of labeling is highly dependent upon the nature of the base and the secondary structure of the nucleic acid. This spin label-polymer linkage is unstable at high temperatures and in phosphate buffers. In order to determine the effect of changes in the environment of nucleic acids on the esr signals of their attached spin labels, the polynucleotides were subjected to temperature and viscosity perturbations. An increase in temperature (T) affects a linear decrease in the anisotropy factor of the esr signal. The log tau (tau = correlation time) versus (1/T) profile is linear with a positive slope when the spin label is attached to single stranded polynucleotides but exhibits discontinuities at certain critical temperatures when attached to the duplexes poly (As-U) and poly (I-Cs). These critical temperatures are lower than the optical Tm. Logarithmic increase in viscosity was found to produce a linear increase in tau in aqueous sucrose solutions.     

A dumbbell molecular beacon for the specific recognition of nucleic acids

A dumbbell molecular beacon (DMB) was designed and synthesized with the attachment of a fluorophore and a quencher at two ends. This DMB probe can be used to detect single mismatch of a 20mer oligodeoxynucleotide in two different buffers and discrimination factors were as high as 60 at 37°C. Statistics of single substitutions of analytes showed that both substituted positions and substituted nucleotides have important contributions for this probe to efficiently distinguish the true analyte from mismatched ones. Hybridization kinetics of DMB with the target oligonucleotide was also studied.