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S Broyde

Publications and source records attributed to S Broyde.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Base sequence effects in bending induced by bulky carcinogen-DNA adducts: experimental and computational analysis.

The covalent binding of bulky mutagenic or carcinogenic compounds to DNA can lead to bending, which could significantly alter the interactions of DNA with critical replication and transcription proteins. The impact of adducts derived from the highly reactive bay region enantiomeric (+)- and (-)-anti-7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide derivatives of benzo[a]pyrene (BPDE) are of interest because the (+)-7R,8S,9S,10R-anti-BPDE enantiomer is highly tumorigenic in rodents, while the (-)-7S,8R,9R,10S-anti-BPDE enantiomer is not. Both (+)- and (-)-anti-BPDE bind covalently with DNA predominantly by trans addition at the exocyclic amino group of guanine to yield 10S (+)- and 10R (-)-trans-anti-[BP]-N(2)-dG adducts. We have synthesized a number of different oligonucleotides with single (+)- and (-)-trans-anti-[BP]-N(2)-dG adducts (G) in the base sequence context XG*Y, where X and Y are different DNA bases. The G* residues were positioned at or close to the center of 11 base pair ( approximately 1 helical turn) or 16 base pair ( approximately 1.5 turns) duplexes. All bases, except for X and Y and their partners, were identical. These sequences were self-ligated with T4 ligase to form multimers that yield a ladder of bands upon electrophoresis in native polyacrylamide gels. The extent of bending in each oligonucleotide was assessed by monitoring the decrease in gel mobilities of these linear, self-ligated oligomers, relative to unmodified oligonucleotides of the same base sequence. The extent of global bending was then estimated using a sequence-specific three-dimensional model from which the values of the base-pair step parameter roll adjacent to the lesion site could be extracted. We find that (+)-trans-anti-[BP]-N(2)-dG adducts are considerably more bent than the (-) isomers regardless of sequence and that A-T base pairs flanking the [BP]-N(2)-dG lesion site allow for local flexibility consistent with adduct conformational heterogeneity. Interestingly, the fit of computed versus observed gel mobilities using classical reptation treatments requires enhancement of unmodified DNA flexibility in gels, compared to aqueous salt solution. The differences in bending between the two stereoisomeric adduct duplexes and the observed base sequence context effects may play a significant role in the differential processing of these lesions by cellular replication, transcription, and repair enzymes.

Algorithms↗

Stereochemical, structural, and thermodynamic origins of stability differences between stereoisomeric benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide deoxyadenosine adducts in a DNA mutational hot spot sequence.

Benzo[a]pyrene (BP), a prototype polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), can be metabolically activated to the enantiomeric benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxides (BPDEs), (+)-(7R,8S,9S,10R)-7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene and the (-)-(7S,8R,9R,10S) enantiomer. These can react with adenine residues in DNA, to produce the stereoisomeric 10S (+)- and 10R (-)-trans-anti-[BP]-N(6)-dA adducts. High-resolution NMR solution studies indicate that in DNA duplexes the 10R (-) adduct is intercalated on the 5'-side of the modified adenine, while the 10S (+) adduct is disordered, exhibits multiple adduct conformations, and is positioned on the 3'-side of the modified adenine. Duplexes containing the 10S (+) adduct positioned at A within codon 61 of the human N-ras sequence CAA are thermodynamically less stable and more easily excised by human DNA repair enzymes than those containing the 10R (-) adduct. However, the molecular origins of these differences are not understood and represent a fascinating opportunity for elucidating structure-function relationships. We have carried out a computational investigation to uncover the structural and thermodynamic origins of these effects in the 11-mer duplex sequence d(CGGACAAGAAG).d(CTTCTTGTCCG) by performing a 2-ns molecular dynamics simulation using NMR solution structures as the basis for the starting models. Then, we applied the MM-PBSA (molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area) method to compute free energy differences between the stereoisomeric adducts. The 10R (-) isomer is more stable by approximately 13 kcal/mol, of which approximately 10 kcal/mol is enthalpic, which agrees quite well with their observed differences in thermodynamic stability. The lower stability of the 10S (+) adduct is due to diminished stacking by the BP moiety in the intercalation pocket, more helix unwinding, and a diminished quality of Watson-Crick base pairing. The latter stems from conformational heterogeneity involving a syn-anti equilibrium of the glycosidic bond in the modified adenine residue. The lower stability and conformational heterogeneity of the 10S (+) adduct may play a role in its enhanced susceptibility to nucleotide excision repair.

7,8-Dihydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo(a)pyrene 9,10-oxide↗

Solution structure of the 2-amino-1- methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine C8-deoxyguanosine adduct in duplex DNA.

The carcinogenic heterocyclic amine (HA) 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) is formed during the cooking of various meats. To enable structure/activity studies aimed at understanding how DNA damaged by a member of the HA class of compounds can ultimately lead to cancer, we have determined the first solution structure of an 11-mer duplex containing the C8-dG adduct formed by reaction with N-acetoxy-PhIP. A slow conformational exchange is observed in which the PhIP ligand either intercalates into the DNA helix by denaturing and displacing the modified base pair (main form) or is located outside the helix in a minimally perturbed B-DNA duplex (minor form). In the main base-displaced intercalation structure, the minor groove is widened, and the major groove is compressed at the lesion site because of the location of the bulky PhIP-N-methyl and phenyl ring in the minor groove; this distortion causes significant bending of the helix. The PhIP phenyl ring interacts with the phosphodiester-sugar ring backbone of the complementary strand and its fast rotation with respect to the intercalated imidazopyridine ring causes substantial distortions at this site, such as unwinding and bulging-out of the strand. The glycosidic torsion angle of the [PhIP]dG residue is syn, and the displaced guanine base is directed toward the 3' end of the modified strand. This study contributes, to our knowledge, the first structural information on the biologically relevant HA class to a growing body of knowledge about how conformational similarities and differences for a variety of types of lesions can influence protein interactions and ultimately biological outcome.

DNA↗

Evading the proofreading machinery of a replicative DNA polymerase: induction of a mutation by an environmental carcinogen.

DNA replication fidelity is dictated by DNA polymerase enzymes and associated proteins. When the template DNA is damaged by a carcinogen, the fidelity of DNA replication is sometimes compromized, allowing mispaired bases to persist and be incorporated into the DNA, resulting in a mutation. A key question in chemical carcinogenesis by metabolically activated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is the nature of the interactions between the carcinogen-damaged DNA and the replicating polymerase protein that permits the mutagenic misincorporation to occur. PAHs are environmental carcinogens that, upon metabolic activation, can react with DNA to form bulky covalently linked combination molecules known as carcinogen-DNA adducts. Benzo[a]pyrene (BP) is a common PAH found in a wide range of material ingested by humans, including cigarette smoke, car exhaust, broiled meats and fish, and as a contaminant in other foods. BP is metabolically activated into several highly reactive intermediates, including the highly tumorigenic (+)-anti-benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide (BPDE). The primary product of the reaction of (+)-anti-BPDE with DNA, the (+)-trans-anti-benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide-N(2)-dG ((+)-ta-[BP]G) adduct, is the most mutagenic BP adduct in mammalian systems and primarily causes G-to-T transversion mutations, resulting from the mismatch of adenine with BP-damaged guanine during replication. In order to elucidate the structural characteristics and interactions between the DNA polymerase and carcinogen-damaged DNA that allow a misincorporation opposite a DNA lesion, we have modeled a (+)-ta-[BP]G adduct at a primer-template junction within the replicative phage T7 DNA polymerase containing an incoming dATP, the nucleotide most commonly mismatched with the (+)-ta-[BP]G adduct during replication. A one nanosecond molecular dynamics simulation, using AMBER 5.0, has been carried out, and the resultant trajectory analyzed. The modeling and simulation have revealed that a (+)-ta-[BP]G:A mismatch can be accommodated stably in the active site so that the fidelity mechanisms of the polymerase are evaded and the polymerase accepts the incoming mutagenic base. In this structure, the modified guanine base is in the syn conformation, with the BP moiety positioned in the major groove, without interfering with the normal protein-DNA interactions required for faithful polymerase function. This structure is stabilized by a hydrogen bond between the modified guanine base and dATP partner, hydrophobic interactions between the BP moiety and the polymerase, a hydrogen bond between the modified guanine base and the polymerase, and several hydrogen bonds between the BP moiety and polymerase side-chains. Moreover, the G:A mismatch in this system closely resembles the size and shape of a normal Watson-Crick pair. These features reveal how the polymerase proofreading machinery may be evaded in the presence of a mutagenic carcinogen-damaged DNA, so that a mismatch can be accommodated readily, allowing bypass of the adduct by the replicative T7 DNA polymerase.

7,8-Dihydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo(a)pyrene 9,10-oxide↗

Molecular topology of polycyclic aromatic carcinogens determines DNA adduct conformation: a link to tumorigenic activity.

We report below on the solution structures of stereoisomeric "fjord" region trans-anti-benzo[c]phenanthrene-N2-guanine (designated (BPh)G) adducts positioned opposite cytosine within the (C-(BPh)G-C).(G-C-G) sequence context. We observe intercalation of the phenanthrenyl ring with stereoisomer-dependent directionality, without disruption of the modified (BPh)G.C base-pair. Intercalation occurs to the 5' side of the modified strand for the 1S stereoisomeric adduct and to the 3' side for the 1R stereoisomeric adduct, with the S and R-trans-isomers related to one another by inversion in a mirror plane at all four chiral carbon atoms on the benzylic ring. Intercalation of the fjord region BPh ring into the helix without disruption of the modified base-pair is achieved through buckling of the (BPh)G.C base-pair, displacement of the linkage bond from the plane of the (BPh)G base, adaptation of a chair pucker by the BPh benzylic ring and the propeller-like deviation from planarity of the BPh phenanthrenyl ring. It is noteworthy that intercalation without base-pair disruption occurs from the minor groove side for S and R-trans-anti BPh-N2-guanine adducts opposite C, in contrast to our previous demonstration of intercalation without modified base-pair disruption from the major groove side for S and R-trans-anti BPh-N6-adenine adducts opposite T. Further, these results on fjord region 1S and 1R-trans-anti (BPh)G adducts positioned opposite C are in striking contrast to earlier research with "bay" region benzo[a]pyrene-N2-guanine (designated (BP)G) adducts positioned opposite cytosine, where 10S and 10R-trans-anti stereoisomers were positioned with opposite directionality in the minor groove without modified base-pair disruption. They also are in contrast to the 10S and 10R-cis-anti stereoisomers of (BP)G adducts opposite C, where the pyrenyl ring is intercalated into the helix with directionality, but the modified base and its partner on the opposite strand are displaced out of the helix. These results are especially significant given the known greater tumorigenic potential of fjord region compared to bay region polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The tumorigenic potential has been linked to repair efficiency such that bay region adducts can be readily repaired while their fjord region counterparts are refractory to repair. Our structural results propose a link between DNA adduct conformation and repair-dependent mutagenic activity, which could ultimately translate into structure-dependent differences in tumorigenic activities. We propose that the fjord region minor groove-linked BPh-N2-guanine and major groove-linked BPh-N6-adenine adducts are refractory to repair based on our observations that the phenanthrenyl ring intercalates into the helix without modified base-pair disruption. The helix is therefore minimally perturbed and the phenanthrenyl ring is not available for recognition by the repair machinery. By contrast, the bay region BP-N2-G adducts are susceptible to repair, since the repair machinery can recognize either the pyrenyl ring positioned in the minor groove for the trans-anti groove-aligned stereoisomers, or the disrupted modified base-pair for the cis-anti base-displaced intercalated stereoisomers.

Base Pairing↗

The food mutagen 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline: a conformational analysis of its major DNA adduct and comparison with the 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline adduct.

The heterocyclic amine 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx) is one of a group of heterocyclic amine carcinogens that exists in cooked meat and fish. It causes mutations in bacterial and mammalian assays and induces tumors in mammals. MeIQx is converted within cells to a reactive derivative which forms a major covalent adduct at carbon-8 of guanine in DNA. This adduct may alter the DNA conformation at critical stages of the replicative process, and cause mutations which initiate the carcinogenic process. Atomic resolution structures of the MeIQx-damaged DNA are not yet available experimentally. We have carried out an extensive molecular mechanics/energy minimization search to locate feasible structures for the major MeIQx adduct in DNA, using the sequence d(5'-C1-G2-C3-G4[IQ]-C5-G6-C7-3').d(5'-G8-C9-G10-C11-G12-C13-G14-3') with MeIQx modification at G4. We have created 1152 starting conformations which uniformly sampled each of the three flexible torsion angles that govern the MeIQx-DNA orientation at 15 degrees intervals, and minimized their energy. A mixture of conformations was generated, which were separated into families according to the position of the ring system of the carcinogenic amine: major groove, minor groove, and base-displaced-intercalated. While a generally similar mixture had been generated previously for the related carcinogen 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) [Wu, X., et al. (1999) Chem. Res. Toxicol. 12, 895-905], differences were found which could be rationalized in terms of the additional methyl group in the MeIQx.

Animals↗

Cyclohexene ring and Fjord region twist inversion in stereoisomeric DNA adducts of enantiomeric benzo[c]phenanthrene diol epoxides.

The sterically hindered, nonplanar fjord region polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been of great interest because of the exceptionally high mutagenic and tumorigenic activity of certain of their metabolically activated diol epoxides. Benzo[c]phenanthrene (B[c]Ph), a representative fjord region PAH, is metabolically activated to a pair of enantiomers, 1S,2R,3R,4S-3,4-dihydroxy-1,2-epoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrobenzo[c]phenanthrene, (+)-anti-B[c]PhDE, and the corresponding 1R,2S,3S,4R enantiomer, (-)-anti-B[c]PhDE. Both of these can bind covalently to the amino group of purines in DNA via trans addition. In the present work we carry out an extensive computational investigation of the 1R(+) and 1S(-)-trans-anti-B[c]Ph adducts to the base guanine, with the goal of delineating the conformational possibilities for the fjord region and the adjacent cyclohexene-type benzylic ring and their relevance to DNA duplexes. We created 10 369 starting structures for each adduct and minimized the energy using AMBER 5.0. A limited set of conformational families is computed, in which the R isomer structures are near mirror images of the S isomer. The benzylic rings are essentially all half-chair-type. Cyclohexene-type ring inversion as well as fjord region twist inversion are possible for each isomer and are correlated. DNA duplexes modified by fjord region adducts select conformers from the allowed families that optimize stacking interactions, which contributes to the stability of the carcinogen-intercalated DNA duplex structures [Cosman et al. (1993) Biochemistry 32, 12488-12497; Cosman et al. (1995) Biochemistry 34, 1295-1307; Suri et al. (1999) J. Mol. Biol. 292, 289-307; Lin et al. (2001) J. Mol. Biol. 306, 1059-1080]. In turn, this stability could contribute to the resistance to repair by the human nucleotide excision system observed in fjord region adducts [Buterin et al. (2000) Cancer Res. 60, 1849-1856].

Cyclohexanes↗

Accomodation of S-cis-tamoxifen-N(2)-guanine adduct within a bent and widened DNA minor groove.

The non-steroidal anti-estrogen tamoxifen [TAM] has been in clinical use over the last two decades as a potent adjunct chemotherapeutic agent for treatment of breast cancer. It has also been given prophylactically to women with a strong family history of breast cancer. However, tamoxifen treatment has also been associated with increased endometrial cancer, possibly resulting from the reaction of metabolically activated tamoxifen derivatives with cellular DNA. Such DNA adducts can be mutagenic and the activities of isomeric adducts may be conformation-dependent. We therefore investigated the high resolution NMR solution conformation of one covalent adduct (cis-isomer, S-epimer of [TAM]G) formed from the reaction of tamoxifen [TAM] to N(2)-of guanine in the d(C-[TAM]G-C).d(G-C-G) sequence context at the 11-mer oligonucleotide duplex level. Our NMR results establish that the S-cis [TAM]G lesion is accomodated within a widened minor groove without disruption of the Watson-Crick [TAM]G. C and flanking Watson-Crick G.C base-pairs. The helix axis of the bound DNA oligomer is bent by about 30 degrees and is directed away from the minor groove adduct site. The presence of such a bulky [TAM]G adduct with components of the TAM residue on both the 5'- and the 3'-side of the modified base could compromise the fidelity of the minor groove polymerase scanning machinery.

Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal↗

Conformational determinants of structures in stereoisomeric cis-opened anti-benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide adducts to adenine in DNA.

As part of a comprehensive effort to understand the origins of the variety of structural motifs adopted by (+)- and (-)-cis- and trans-anti-[BP]-N(2)-dG and -N(6)-dA adducts, with the goal of contributing to the elucidation of the structure-function relationship, we present results of our comprehensive computational investigation of the C10R (+)-cis- and C10S (-)-cis-anti-[BP]-N(6)-dA adducts on the nucleoside level. We have surveyed the potential energy surface of these two adducts by varying systematically, at 5 degrees intervals in combination, the three key torsion angle determinants of conformational flexibility (chi, alpha', and beta') in each adduct, creating 373 248 structures, and evaluating each of their energies. This has permitted us to map the entire potential energy surface of each adduct and to delineate the low-energy regions. The energy maps possess a symmetric relationship in the (+)/(-) adduct pair. This symmetry in the maps stems from the mirror image configuration of the benzylic rings in the two adducts, which produces opposite orientations of the BP residues in the C10R and C10S adducts on the nucleoside level. These opposite orientations result from primary steric hindrance between the base and the BP moiety which ensues when a (+) stereoisomer is rotated to the conformation favored by the (-) stereoisomer, and vice versa. Moreover, this steric hindrance manifested on the nucleoside level governs the structure on the duplex DNA level, accounting for observed opposite orientations in high-resolution NMR studies of C10R/C10S adduct pairs.

Adenine↗

Solution structure of the (+)-cis-anti-benzo[a]pyrene-dA ([BP]dA) adduct opposite dT in a DNA duplex.

Minor adducts, derived from the covalent binding of anti-benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxide to cellular DNA, may play an important role in generating mutations and initiating cancer. We have applied a combined NMR-computational approach including intensity based refinement to determine the solution structure of the minor (+)-cis-anti-[BP]dA adduct positioned opposite dT in the d(C1-T2-C3-T4-C5-[BP]A6-C7-T8-T9-C10-C11). (d(G12-G13-A14-A15-G16-T17-G18-A19-G20+ ++-A21-G22) 11-mer duplex. The BP ring system is intercalated toward the 5'-side of the [BP]dA6 lesion site without disrupting the flanking Watson-Crick dC5.dG18 and [BP]dA6.dT17 base pairs. This structure of the (+)-cis-anti-[BP]dA.dT 11-mer duplex, containing a bay region benzo[a]pyrenyl [BP]dA adduct, is compared with the corresponding structure of the (+)-trans-anti-[BPh]dA.dT 11-mer duplex (Cosman et al., Biochemistry 32, 12488-12497, 1993), which contains a fjord region benzo[c]phenanthrenyl [BPh]dA adduct with the same R stereochemistry at the linkage site. The carcinogen intercalates toward the 5'-direction of the modified strand in both duplexes (the adduct is embedded within the same sequence context) with the buckling of the Watson-Crick [BP]dA6.dT17 base pair more pronounced in the (+)-cis-anti-[BP]dA.dT 11-mer duplex compared to its Watson-Crick [BPh]dA.dT17 base pair in the (+)-trans-anti-[BPh]dA.dT 11-mer duplex. The available structural studies of covalent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) carcinogen-DNA adducts point toward the emergence of a general theme where distinct alignments are adopted by PAH adducts covalently linked to the N(6) of adenine when compared to the N(2) of guanine in DNA duplexes. The [BPh]dA and [BP]dA N(6)-adenine adducts intercalate their polycyclic aromatic rings into the helix without disruption of their modified base pairs. This may reflect the potential flexibility associated with the positioning of the covalent tether and the benzylic ring of the carcinogen in the sterically spacious major groove. By contrast, such an intercalation without modified base pair disruption option appears not to be available to [BP]dG N(2)-guanine adducts where the covalent tether and the benzylic ring are positioned in the more sterically crowded minor groove. In the case of [BP]dG adducts, the benzopyrenyl ring is either positioned in the minor groove without base pair disruption, or if intercalated into the helix, requires disruption of the modified base pair and displacement of the bases out of the helix.

Adenine↗

Solution structure of the N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-1-aminopyrene ([AP]dG) adduct opposite dA in a DNA duplex.

Solution structural studies have been undertaken on the aminopyrene-C(8)-dG ([AP]dG) adduct in the d(C5-[AP]G6-C7). d(G16-A17-G18) sequence context in an 11-mer duplex with dA opposite [AP]dG, using proton-proton distance and intensity restraints derived from NMR data in combination with distance-restrained molecular mechanics and intensity-restrained relaxation matrix refinement calculations. The exchangeable and nonexchangeable protons of the aminopyrene and the nucleic acid were assigned following analysis of two-dimensional NMR data sets on the [AP]dG.dA 11-mer duplex in H2O and D2O solution. The broadening of several resonances within the d(G16-A17-G18) segment positioned opposite the [AP]dG6 lesion site resulted in weaker NOEs, involving these protons in the adduct duplex. Both proton and carbon NMR data are consistent with a syn glycosidic torsion angle for the [AP]dG6 residue in the adduct duplex. The aminopyrene ring of [AP]dG6 is intercalated into the DNA helix between intact Watson-Crick dC5.dG18 and dC7.dG16 base pairs and is in contact with dC5, dC7, dG16, dA17, and dG18 residues that form a hydrophobic pocket around it. The intercalated AP ring of [AP]dG6 stacks over the purine ring of dG16 and, to a lesser extent dG18, while the looped out deoxyguanosine ring of [AP]dG6 stacks over dC5 in the solution structure of the adduct duplex. The dA17 base opposite the adduct site is not looped out of the helix but rather participates in an in-plane platform with adjacent dG18 in some of the refined structures of the adduct duplex. The solution structures are quite different for the [AP]dG.dA 11-mer duplex containing the larger aminopyrene ring (reported in this study) relative to the previously published [AF]dG.dA 11-mer duplex containing the smaller aminofluorene ring (Norman et al., Biochemistry 28, 7462-7476, 1989) in the same sequence context. Both the modified syn guanine and the dA positioned opposite it are stacked into the helix with the aminofluorene chromophore displaced into the minor groove in the latter adduct duplex. By contrast, the aminopyrenyl ring participates in an intercalated base-displaced structure in the present study of the [AP]dG.dA 11-mer duplex and in a previously published study of the [AP]dG.dC 11-mer duplex (Mao et al., Biochemistry 35, 12659-12670, 1996). Such intercalated base-displaced structures without hydrogen bonding between the [AP]dG adduct and dC or mismatched dA residues positioned opposite it, if present at a replication fork, may cause polymerase stalling and formation of a slipped intermediate that could produce frameshift mutations, the most dominant mutagenic consequence of the [AP]dG lesion.

2-Acetylaminofluorene↗

Solution structures of aminofluorene [AF]-stacked conformers of the syn [AF]-C8-dG adduct positioned opposite dC or dA at a template-primer junction.

A solution structural study has been undertaken on the aminofluorene-C8-dG ([AF]dG) adduct located at a single-strand-double-strand d(A1-A2-C3-[AF]G4-C5-T6-A7-C8-C9-A10-T11-C12-C13). d(G14-G15-A16-T17-G18-G19-T20- A21-G22-N23) 13/10-mer junction (N = C or A) using proton-proton distance restraints derived from NMR data in combination with intensity-based relaxation matrix refinement computations. This single-strand-double-strand junction models one arm of a replication fork composed of a 13-mer template strand which contains the [AF]dG modification site and a 10-mer primer strand which has been elongated up to the modified guanine with either its complementary dC partner or a dA mismatch. The solution structures establish that the duplex segment retains a minimally perturbed B-DNA conformation with Watson-Crick hydrogen-bonding retained up to the dC5.dG22 base pair. The guanine ring of the [AF]dG4 adduct adopts a syn glycosidic torsion angle and is displaced into the major groove when positioned opposite dC or dA residues. This base displacement of the modified guanine is accompanied by stacking of one face of the aminofluorene ring of [AF]dG4 with the dC5.dG22 base pair, while the other face of the aminofluorene ring is stacked with the purine ring of the nonadjacent dA2 residue. By contrast, the dC and dA residues opposite the junctional [AF]dG4 adduct site adopt distinctly different alignments. The dC23 residue positioned opposite the adduct site is looped out into the minor groove by the aminofluorene ring. The syn displaced orientation of the modified dG with stacking of the aminofluorene and the looped out position of the partner dC could be envisioned to cause polymerase stalling associated with subsequent misalignment leading to frameshift mutations in appropriate sequences. The dA23 residue positioned opposite the adduct site is positioned in the major groove with its purine ring aligned face down over the van der Waals surface of the major groove and its amino group directed toward the T6.A21 base pair. The Hoogsteen edge of the modified guanine of [AF]dG4 and the Watson-Crick edge of dA23 positioned opposite it are approximately coplanar and directed toward each other but are separated by twice the hydrogen-bonding distance required for pairing. This structure of [AF]dG opposite dA at a model template-primer junctional site can be compared with a previous structure of [AF]dG opposite dA within a fully paired duplex [Norman, D., Abuaf, P., Hingerty, B. E., Live, D. , Grunberger, D., Broyde, S., and Patel, D. J. (1989) Biochemistry 28, 7462-7476]. The alignment of the Hoogsteen edge of [AF]dG (syn) positioned opposite the Watson-Crick edge of dA (anti) has been observed for both systems with the separation greater in the case of the junctional alignment in the model template-primer system. However, the aminofluorene ring is positioned in the minor groove in the fully paired duplex while it stacks over the junctional base pair in the template-primer system. This suggests that the syn [AF]dG opposite dA junctional alignment can be readily incorporated within a duplex by a translation of this entity toward the minor groove.

Base Pairing↗

Stereochemical origin of opposite orientations in DNA adducts derived from enantiomeric anti-benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxides with different tumorigenic potentials.

When covalently linked to DNA, enantiomeric pairs of mirror image aromatic diol epoxides with differing tumorigenic potencies adopt opposite orientations along the DNA helix. This phenomenon has been observed by high-resolution NMR solution studies in a number of systems. Preliminary modeling efforts [Geacintov et al. (1997) Chem. Res. Toxicol. 10, 111-146) had suggested that the origin of the opposite orientation effect may be manifested even at the level of the carcinogen-modified nucleoside due to primary steric hindrance effects between the aromatic moiety and the attached base and sugar. Such a small system can be computationally investigated extensively, since a very thorough survey of the potential energy surface is feasible. Consequently, in an effort to understand the underlying origins of the opposite orientations in (+)-trans and (-)-trans-anti adduct pairs, we have undertaken an extensive investigation of the paradigm 10S (+) and 10R (-)-trans-anti-[BP]-N2-dG mononucleoside adduct pair, derived from the binding of the (+)-7R,8S,9S,10R and (-)-7S,8R,9R,10S enantiomers of 7,8-dihydro-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9, 10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (BP) to the exocyclic amino group of 2'-deoxyguanosine. In the present work we created 373248 different conformers for each adduct, which uniformly sampled the possible rotamers about the three flexible torsion angles governing the orientation of the base (chi) and its covalently linked BP residue (alpha', beta') at 5 degrees intervals, and computed each of their energies with AMBER 4.0. The extensive results permitted us to map the potential energy surface of the molecule. Only four low-energy structural domains are found for the (+)-trans adduct and four for the (-)-trans adduct; the (+)/(-) pairs of each structural domain are mirror images, with the mirror image symmetry broken by the sugar and its attached C4'-C5' group. The most favored of these four is observed experimentally in the duplexes containing the same (+) and (-)-trans-anti-[BP]-N2-dG adducts (Cosman et al. (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89, 1914-1918; de los Santos et al. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 5245-5252). The origin of the opposite orientations resides in steric hindrance effects resulting from the mirror image relationship of the BP benzylic rings in the adduct pair, such that rotation of one stereoisomer into the conformational domain preferred by the other causes crowding between the base and the BP benzylic ring. Limited conformational flexibility in the torsion angle beta', the one closest to the bulky BP moiety at the linkage site to guanine, plays a key role in governing the orientations in each adduct. The opposite orientation phenomenon is likely to manifest itself when the adducts are processed by cellular enzymes involved in replication, repair, and transcription and thus play a role in the differing biological outcomes stemming from the (+) and (-)-trans-anti adducts.

Benzopyrenes↗

Origins of conformational differences between cis and trans DNA adducts derived from enantiomeric anti-benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxides.

The two enantiomeric metabolites of the carcinogen precursor benzo[a]pyrene, (+)- and (-)-anti-BPDE [(7R,8S)-dihydroxy-(9S, 10R)-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene and the corresponding 7S,8R,9R,10S enantiomer, respectively], bind predominantly to the exocyclic amino groups of dG residues in double-stranded DNA by either cis or trans addition to yield four stereoisomerically distinct [BP]-N(2)-dG adducts. Both the 10S (+)-trans and 10R (-)-transadducts assume minor groove conformations in normal, full duplexes, but with opposite 5' or 3' orientations, respectively, relative to the modified strand. In contrast, the 10R (+)-cis and 10S (-)-cis adducts assume oppositely oriented base-displaced intercalative conformations in normal duplexes, with the inserted pyrenyl residues pointing toward the major groove in the (+)-cis isomer and toward the minor groove in the (-)-cis isomer. A BPDE-modified nucleoside is a small system which can be studied by computational methods with a very thorough survey of the potential energy surface. To investigate conformational differences between cis and trans adducts, and to elucidate origins governing the opposite orientations of these (+)- and (-)-diol epoxide adducts, we have carried out extensive investigations of the (+)- and (-)-trans-anti- and (+)- and (-)-cis-anti-[BP]-N(2)-dG deoxynucleoside adduct pairs. We report results for the (+)- and (-)-cis-anti pair, and compare them with the (+)- and (-)-trans-anti adducts. We created 373 248 different conformers for each adduct, which uniformly sampled at 5 degrees intervals the possible rotamers about three flexible torsion angles governing base (chi) and carcinogen (alpha' and beta') orientations, and computed each of their energies. The potential energy surface of the molecule was then mapped from these results. While four potential energy wells or structural domains are found for the (+)-trans adduct and four for the (-)-trans adduct, only two of these four domains are favored for each of the two cis adducts. In both cis and trans adducts, the (+)/(-) pairs of each structural domain are nearly mirror images. The most favored of the domains in both cis and trans adducts is observed experimentally in the duplexes containing each of these [BP]-N(2)-dG lesions. The opposite orientations in both cis and trans adducts stem from steric crowding at the benzylic ring, engendered when a (+) stereoisomer is rotated into the analogous conformation of its (-) partner, and vice versa. Furthermore, the key role of the difference in absolute configuration between trans and cis adducts at the hydroxyls of C9 and C8 in governing conformational preferences and flexibility is delineated. Cis adducts are less conformationally flexible than trans adducts because they are inherently more sterically crowded, with C9-OH and C8-OH on the same side of the benzylic ring as guanine and sugar, while they are on the opposite side of the benzylic ring in the trans adducts. Consequently, the cis adducts inherently favor less the minor groove position adopted by trans adducts in DNA duplexes because the C9-OH and C8-OH are directed inward into the minor groove in the cis adducts. In the trans adducts, the C9-OH and C8-OH are directed outward, away from the interior of the minor groove. Observed differential processing of these four adducts by replication, repair, and transcription enzymes may well stem from their differing conformational preferences.

7,8-Dihydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo(a)pyrene 9,10-oxide↗

Conformational analysis of the major DNA adduct derived from the food mutagen 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline.

The heterocyclic amine 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) is one of a number of carcinogens found in barbecued meat and fish. It is mutagenic in bacterial and mammalian assays and induces tumors in mammals. IQ is biochemically activated to a derivative which reacts with DNA to form a major covalent adduct at carbon 8 of guanine. This adduct may deform the DNA and consequently cause a mutation, which may be responsible for initiating IQ's carcinogenicity. Atomic resolution structures of the IQ-damaged DNA are not yet available experimentally. We have carried out an extensive molecular mechanics energy minimization search to locate feasible structures for the major IQ-DNA adduct in the representative sequence d(5'-G1-G2-C3-G4-C5-C6-A7-3'). d(5'-T8-G9-G10-C11-G12-C13-C14-3') with IQ modification at G4; this contains the GGCGCC mutational hotspot sequence known as NarI. The molecular mechanics program AMBER 5.0 with the force field of Cornell et al. [(1995) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 117, 5179-5197] was employed, including explicit Na(+) counterions and an implicit treatment for solvation. However, key parameters, the partial charges, bond lengths, bond angles, and dihedral parameters of the modified residue, are not available in the AMBER database. We carefully parametrized the force field, created 800 starting conformations which uniformly sampled at 18 degrees intervals each of the three flexible torsion angles that govern the IQ-DNA orientation, and minimized their energy. A conformational mix of structural types, including major groove, minor groove, and base-displaced intercalated carcinogen positions, was generated. This mixture may be related to the diversity of mutational outcomes induced by IQ.

Chemical Phenomena↗

Interactions between DNA polymerase beta and the major covalent adduct of the carcinogen (+)-anti-benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide with DNA at a primer-template junction.

A molecular dynamics simulation has been carried out with DNA polymerase beta (beta pol) complexed with a DNA primer-template. The templating guanine at the polymerase active site was covalently modified by the carcinogenic metabolite of benzo[a]pyrene, (+)-anti-benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide, to form the major (+)-trans-anti-benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide covalent adduct. Thus, the benzo[a]pyrenyl moiety (BP) is situated in the single-stranded template at the junction between double- and single-stranded DNA. The starting structure was based on the X-ray crystal structure of the rat beta pol primer-template and ddCTP complex [Pelletier, H., Sawaya, M. R., Kumar, A., Wilson, S. H., and Kraut, J. (1994) Science 264, 1891-1903]. During the simulation, the BP and its attached templating guanine rearrange to form a structure in which the BP is closer to parallel with the adjacent base pair. In addition, the templating attached guanine is displaced toward the major groove side and access to its Watson-Crick edge is partly obstructed. This structure is stabilized, in part, by new hydrogen bonds between the BP and beta pol Asn279 and Arg283. These residues are within hydrogen bonding distance to the incoming ddCTP and templating guanine, respectively, in the crystal structure of the beta pol ternary complex. Site-directed mutagenesis has confirmed their role in dNTP binding, discrimination, and catalytic efficiency [Beard, W. A., Osheroff, W. P., Prasad, R., Sawaya, M. R., Jaju, M., Wood, T. G., Kraut, J., Kunkel, T. A., and Wilson, S. H. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 12141-12144]. The predominant biological effect of the BP is DNA polymerase blockage. Consistent with this biological effect, the computed structure suggests the possibility that the BP's main deleterious impact on DNA synthesis might result at least in part from its specific interactions with key polymerase side chains. Moreover, relatively modest movement of BP and its attached guanine, with some concomitant enzyme motion, is necessary to relieve the obstruction and permit the observed rare incorporation of a dATP opposite the guanine lesion.

7,8-Dihydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo(a)pyrene 9,10-oxide↗

Solution structure of the aminofluorene [AF]-intercalated conformer of the syn-[AF]-C8-dG adduct opposite dC in a DNA duplex.

We report below on a conformational equilibrium between AF-intercalated and AF-external states in slow exchange for the [AF]dG lesion positioned opposite dC in the d(C-[AF]G-C).d(G-C-G) sequence context. The slow exchange between states is attributed to interconversion between syn glycosidic torsion angle in the AF-intercalated and anti torsion angle in AF-external conformers of the [AF]dG opposite dC containing duplex. The present paper describes an NMR-molecular mechanics study that defines the solution structure of the AF-intercalated conformer for the case of [AF]dG adduct positioned opposite dC in the d(C-[AF]G-C).d(G-C-G) sequence context. The structure is of the base displacement-intercalation type where the aminofluorene ring is intercalated into the helix between intact Watson-Crick dG.dC base pairs, which results in a displacement of the modified guanine ring into the major groove where it stacks with the major groove edge of its 5'-flanking cytosine in the adduct duplex. The conformational equilibrium between AF-intercalated conformer (approximately 70%) with a syn alignment and AF-external conformer (approximately 30%) with an anti alignment for the [AF]dG adduct positioned opposite dC in the d(C-[AF]G-C).d(G-C-G) sequence context can be contrasted with our earlier demonstration that the population is 100% for the AP-intercalated conformer with a synalignment at the N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminopyrene ([AP]dG) adduct site positioned opposite dC in the same sequence context [Mao, B., Vyas, R. R., Hingerty, B. E., Broyde, S., Basu, A. K., and Patel, D. J. (1996) Biochemistry, 35, 12659-12670]. This shift in population may reflect the much larger size of the pyrenyl ring of the [AP]dG adduct compared to the fluorenyl ring of the [AF]dG adduct which in turn might provide for a greater overlap of the aromatic amine with the flanking base pairs in the intercalated conformer of the former adduct in DNA.

Carbon↗

Solution structure of the aminofluorene [AF]-external conformer of the anti-[AF]-C8-dG adduct opposite dC in a DNA duplex.

The Escherichia coli genome contains a C-G1-G2-C-G3-C-C NarI hot spot sequence for -2 deletion mutations at G3 by aromatic amine carcinogens 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) and 2-aminofluorene (AF) that form covalent adducts at the C8-position of the guanine ring. Each of the three guanines are positioned in different sequence contexts (C-G1-G, G-G2-C, and C-G3-C) which provides an opportunity to investigate the potential sequence dependent interconversion between AF-intercalated and AF-external conformers of the [AF]dG adduct positioned opposite dC within the NarI sequence at the duplex level. We have prepared and purified DNA duplexes containing the [AF]dG adduct positioned in C-[AF]G-G, G-[AF]G-C, and C-[AF]G-C NarI sequence contexts and observe the ratio of AF-intercalated to AF-external conformers to be 30:70, 10:90, and 50:50, respectively. We have applied a combined NMR-molecular mechanics approach to define the structure of the AF-external conformer in the G-[AF]G-C NarI sequence context where it is the predominant conformation (90%) in solution. The modified guanine of the [AF]dG adduct aligns through Watson-Crick pairing with its partner cytosine and is stacked into the helix between flanking Watson-Crick dG.dC base pairs. The AF-external conformer with its anti-[AF]dG residue causes minimal perturbations in the DNA duplex at and adjacent to the lesion site with the covalently linked fluorenyl ring readily accommodated in the major groove and tilted toward the 5'-end of the modified strand of the helix. This paper on the structure of the AF-external conformer with an anti-[AF]dG adduct together with the preceding paper in this issue on the structure of the AF-intercalated conformer with a syn-[AF]dG adduct defines for the first time the capacity of the mutagenic [AF]dG lesion to adopt interconverting syn and antialignments with the equilibrium shifting between the conformers depending on nearest neighbor and next-nearest neighbor sequences. Perhaps, recognition of the [AF]dG lesion by the repair machinery would be able to discriminate between the AF-intercalated conformer with its base displacement-fluorenyl ring insertion perturbation of the helix and the AF-external conformer where the DNA helix is essentially unperturbed at the lesion site and the fluorenyl ring is positioned with directionality in the major groove.

Carbon↗