Chemical probes of the conformation of DNA modified by cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II)

The purpose of this work was to analyze at the nucleotide level the distortions induced by the binding of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (cis-DDP) to DNA by means of chemical probes. In order to test the chemical probes, experiments were first carried out on two platinated oligonucleotides. It has been verified by circular dichroism and gel electrophoresis that the binding of cis-DDP to an AG or to a GTG site within a double-stranded oligonucleotide distorts the double helix. The anomalously slow electrophoretic mobility of the multimers of the platinated and ligated oligomers strongly suggests that the platinated oligonucleotides are bent. The reactivity of the oligonucleotide platinated at the GTG site with chloroacetaldehyde, diethyl pyrocarbonate, and osmium tetraoxide, respectively, suggests a local denaturation of the double helix. The 5'G residue and the T residue within the adduct are no longer paired, while the 3'G residue is paired. The double helix is more distorted (but not denatured) at the 5' side of the adduct than at the 3' side. In the case of the oligonucleotide platinated at the AG site, the double helix is also more distorted at the 5' side of the adduct than at the 3' side. The G residue within the adduct is paired. The reactivities of the chemical probes with six platinated DNA restriction fragments show that even at a relatively high level of platination only a few base pairs are unpaired but the double helix is largely distorted. No local denaturation has been detected at the GG sites separated from the nearest GG or AG sites by at least three bases pairs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)