Thermodynamics of drug-DNA interactions

Many anticancer, antibiotic, and antiviral drugs exert their primary biological effects by reversibly interacting with nucleic acids. Therefore, these biomolecules represent a major target in drug development strategies designed to produce next generation therapeutics for diseases such as cancer. In order to improve the clinical efficacy of existing drugs and also to design new ones it is necessary to understand the molecular basis of drug-DNA interactions in structural, thermodynamic, and kinetic detail. The past decade has witnessed an increase in the number of rigorous biophysical studies of drug-DNA systems and considerable knowledge has been gained in the energetics of these binding reactions. This is, in part, due to the increased availability of high-sensitivity calorimetric techniques, which have allowed the thermodynamics of drug-DNA interactions to be probed directly and accurately. The focus of this article is to review thermodynamic approaches to examining drug-DNA recognition. Specifically, an overview of a recently developed method of analysis that dissects the binding free energy of these reactions into five component terms is presented. The results of applying this analysis to the DNA binding interactions of both minor groove drugs and intercalators are discussed. The solvent water plays a key role in nucleic acid structure and consequently in the binding of ligands to these biomolecules. Any rational approach to DNA-targeted drug design requires an understanding of how water participates in recognition and binding events. Recent studies examining hydration changes that accompany DNA binding by intercalators will be reviewed. Finally some aspects of cooperativity in drug-DNA interactions are described and the importance of considering cooperative effects when examining these reactions is highlighted.     

Thermodynamics of lipid-peptide interactions

This review is focused on peptide molecules which exhibit a limited solubility in the aqueous phase and bind to the lipid membrane from the aqueous medium. Surface adsorption, membrane insertion, and specific binding are usually accompanied by changes in the heat content of the system and can be measured conveniently with isothermal titration calorimetry, avoiding the necessity of peptide labeling. The driving forces for peptide adsorption and binding are hydrophobicity, electrostatics, and hydrogen bonding. An exclusively hydrophobic interaction is exemplified by the immunosuppressant drug cyclosporine A. Its insertion into the membrane can be described by a simple partition equilibrium X(b)=K(0)C(eq). If peptide and membrane are both charged, electrostatic interactions are dominant leading to nonlinear binding curves. The concentration of the peptide near the membrane interface can then be much larger than its bulk concentration. Electrostatic effects must be accounted for by means of the Gouy-Chapman theory before conventional binding models can be applied. A small number of peptides and proteins bind with very high affinity to a specific lipid species only. This is illustrated for the lantibiotic cinnamycin (Ro 09-0198) which forms a 1:1 complex with phosphatidyethanolamine with a binding constant of 10(8) M(-1). Membrane adsorption and insertion can be accompanied by conformational transitions facilitated, in part, by hydrogen bonding mechanisms. The two membrane-induced conformational changes to be discussed are the random coil-to-alpha-helix transition of amphipathic peptides and the random coil-to-beta-structure transition of Alzheimer peptides.     

Thermodynamics of sequence-specific protein-DNA interactions

The molecular recognition processes in sequence-specific protein-DNA interactions are complex. The only feature common to all sequence-specific protein-DNA structures is a large interaction interface, which displays a high degree of complementarity in terms of shape, polarity and electrostatics. Many molecular mechanisms act in concert to form the specific interface. These include conformational changes in DNA and protein, dehydration of surfaces, reorganization of ion atmospheres, and changes in dynamics. Here we review the current understanding of how different mechanisms contribute to the thermodynamics of the binding equilibrium and the stabilizing effect of the different types of noncovalent interactions found in protein-DNA complexes. The relation to the thermodynamics of small molecule-DNA binding and protein folding is also briefly discussed.     

Thermodynamics of phospholipid-sucrose interactions.

The effect of 0-1.0 M sucrose on the phase-transition properties of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-3-sn-phosphatidylcholine (1,2-DPPC) was examined by high-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry at a scan rate of 0.1 K min-1. Increasing the concentration of sucrose caused a small, but experimentally significant, increase in the temperature (Tm) of maximal excess apparent specific heat (Cmax) and in delta T 1/2 (the transition width at 1/2 Cmax), a reduction in Cmax, and a small decrease (approximately 8-10% at 1.0 M sucrose compared with 0 M sucrose) in the calorimetric enthalpy (delta Hcal) of the gel-to-liquid crystalline transition. The calorimetric parameters of the pretransition of 1,2-DPPC were not significantly affected by sucrose in the concentration range examined, except there was a 1.0 degree C increase in the temperature (Tp) of maximal excess apparent specific heat in the presence of 1.0 M sucrose. The results are discussed in terms of the possible molecular mechanisms that could have caused the observed changes and are contrasted with the results obtained by C. -H. Chen et al. (1981, Biophys. J., 36:359-367).     

Thermodynamics of fusion peptide-membrane interactions

The fusion peptides of viral membrane fusion proteins play a key role in the mechanism of viral spike glycoprotein mediated membrane fusion. These peptides insert into the lipid bilayers of cellular target membranes where they adopt mostly helical secondary structures. To better understand how membranes may be converted to high-energy intermediates during fusion, it is of interest to know how much energy, enthalpy and entropy, is provided by the insertion of fusion peptides into lipid bilayers. Here, we describe a detailed thermodynamic analysis of the binding of analogues of the influenza hemagglutinin fusion peptide of different lengths and amino acid compositions. In small unilamellar vesicles, the interaction of these peptides with lipid bilayers is driven by enthalpy (-16.5 kcal/mol) and opposed by entropy (-30 cal mol(-1) K(-1)). Most of the driving force (deltaG = -7.6 kcal/mol) comes from the enthalpy of peptide insertion deep into the lipid bilayer. Enthalpic gains and entropic losses of peptide folding in the lipid bilayer cancel to a large extent and account for only about 40% of the total binding free energy. The major folding event occurs in the N-terminal segment of the fusion peptide. The C-terminal segment mainly serves to drive the N-terminus deep into the membrane. The fusion-defective mutations G1S, which causes hemifusion, and particularly G1V, which blocks fusion, have major structural and thermodynamic consequences on the insertion of fusion peptides into lipid bilayers. The magnitudes of the enthalpies and entropies of binding of these mutant peptides are reduced, their helix contents are reduced, but their energies of self-association at the membrane surface are increased compared to the wild-type fusion peptide.     

Thermodynamics of carbohydrate-lipid interactions.

Thermodynamic analyses of carbohydrate-lipid interactions were performed by investigating the effects of a series of carbohydrates, including monosaccharides, disaccharides, and trisaccharides, on the phase-transition properties of aqueous dispersions of 1,2-dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC). The temperature of the lipid's main phase transition from the gel to liquid-crystalline phase is essentially unchanged in the presence of carbohydrate. The change in the free energy (delta G) of the transition is zero when a carbohydrate is added to aqueous dispersions of DPPC, while the enthalpy (delta H) and the entropy of the melting of DPPC are decreased. The thermodynamic information was used to examine carbohydrate-lipid interactions. Such interactions were elucidated according to our knowledge of the specific properties of carbohydrates in aqueous solutions and the previously proposed hydrophobic interaction involving hydrocarbon tails of the lipid in aqueous dispersions.     

Thermodynamics of lipid interactions in complex bilayers

The mutual interactions between lipids in bilayers are reviewed, including mixtures of phospholipids, and mixtures of phospholipids and cholesterol (Chol). Binary mixtures and ternary mixtures are considered, with special emphasis on membranes containing Chol, an ordered phospholipid, and a disordered phospholipid. Typically the ordered phospholipid is a sphingomyelin (SM) or a long-chain saturated phosphatidylcholine (PC), both of which have high phase transitions temperatures; the disordered phospholipid is 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC) or dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC). The unlike nearest-neighbor interaction free energies (ω_AB) between lipids (including Chol), obtained by an variety of unrelated methods, are typically in the range of 0-400 cal/mol in absolute value. Most are positive, meaning that the interaction is unfavorable, but some are negative, meaning it is favorable. It is of special interest that favorable interactions occur mainly between ordered phospholipids and Chol. The interpretation of domain formation in complex mixtures of Chol and phospholipids in terms of phase separation or condensed complexes is discussed in the light of the values of lipid mutual interactions.     

Specific and nonspecific interactions of antibodies and immunoglobulins with antigens and the methods of analysis of these interactions

The problem of specific and nonspecific interaction of serum immunoglobulins and antigens was considered. It was shown that high-sensitive methods allow to reveal low-affinity non-specific interaction of immunoglobulins and antigens. If the concentration of the specific antibodies in a studied sample of serum is low, the non-specific interaction of serum immunoglobulins may exceed substantially the effect of specific reaction. In this case the obtained results could be misinterpreted. In this connection the conclusion has been done that in such a case it is necessary to take into account the capability of serum immunoglobulins to interact non-specifically with antigens and to discriminate between specific and non-specific interaction. The methods of the diminishing the non-specific interaction are suggested.     

The effect of nicotinamide on N-methyl-N''-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine induced killing and mutation

Nicotinamide, an inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis has been found to increase the killing of Chinese hamster V-79 cells induced by N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine in concentration dependent manner. Such treatment also decreased the induced mutation. The nature of the results obtained was similar to those obtained earlier with benzamide, another inhibitor.     

Thermodynamics aspects of interactions between small ligands and DNA

DNA is a molecular target for many anticancer and antiviral drugs. Therefore, a clear understanding of the interaction of small molecules with DNA is important in the rational design of ligands that can bind to DNA with high affinity and selectivity. There are several methods to investigate interactions between drug and DNA. Some of them measures changing into DNA structures, such as lengthening and untwisting of helix of DNA. Other techniques measure changing in drug environment. With the increasing availability of sensitive microcalorimeters, particular interest has arisen in the thermodynamics of drug-DNA interaction. Using such methods permit direct determination of enthalpy changes associated with reactions. One experiment permits to obtain also binding constant, hence an almost complete thermodynamic profile can be established. This profile offers key insights into the molecular forces that drive complex formation and permit to estimate which kind of interaction are responsible of forming these complexes.     

Thermodynamics of complex formation between nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and pig skeletal muscle lactate dehydrogenase.

Formation of the binary complex between the reduced coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and pig skeletal muscle lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, EC 1.1.1.27) has been investigated by calorimetric and equilibrium dialysis techniques in 0.2 M potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) at various temperatures. Analysis of thermal titration curves at two temperatures (25 and 31.5 degrees) shows that the experimental enthalpy data can be rationalized assuming four independent and equivalent binding sites for the tetrameric enzyme. Binary complex formation is characterized by a negative temperature coefficient, delta cp, of the binding enthalpy, which amounts to -1300 plus or minus 53 cal/(deg mol of LDH) in the temperature range of 5-31.5 degrees. Despite the slightly smaller standard deviation resulting when polynomial regression analysis of the second degree is applied to the temperature dependence of the enthalpy values, binding enthalpies seem to be adequately represented in the temperature range studied by the equation delta H = -1.3T + 2.3, kcal/mol of LDH, T referring to the temperature in degrees C. By combination of the results obtained from equilibrium dialysis and calorimetric studies a set of apparent thermodynamic parameters for binding of NADH to LDH in 0.2 M potassium phosphate buffer at pH 7 has been established.     

Effects of diazepam and muscimol on GABA-mediated neurotransmission: interactions with inosine and nicotinamide.

Inosine and nicotinamide have been proposed as endogenous ligands for the brain benzodiazepine receptor. An $\text{in vivo}$ method for detecting drugs with GABA-mimetic properties was used to examine the effects of inosine, nicotinamide and diazepam in the rat globus pallidus. Inosine and nicotinamide completely prevented the GABA-mimetic action of diazepam but neither compound alone had any GABA-like activity. These findings suggest that inosine and nicotinamide are able to antagonize but are not able to mimic the GABA-like actions of diazepam at the benzodiazepine receptor.