title: Neocarzinostatin acts as a sensitive probe of DNA microheterogeneity: switching of chemistry from C-1' to C-4' by a G.T mismatch 5' to the site of DNA damage.
abstract: The diradical form of thiol-activated neocarzinostatin chromophore resides in the minor groove of DNA, where it has access to hydrogen atoms at the C-5', C-1', and C-4' positions of deoxyribose on each strand. In a dodecamer oligodeoxyribonucleotide containing the sequence AGC.GCT, a bistranded lesion staggered two nucleotides in the 3' direction, is generated that consists primarily of an abasic site (2'-deoxyribonolactone) at the C due to 1' chemistry and a direct strand break at the T due to 5' chemistry. Sequencing-gel analysis reveals that 72% of the damage at the C results from 1' chemistry with minor lesions consisting of a strand break due to 5' chemistry (15%) and 4' chemistry (less than 2%) and an abasic site (4'-hydroxylation product) (12%) due to 4' chemistry. Replacement of the G.C base pair 5' to the C by a G.T wobble mismatch results in a remarkable switching of the chemistry of damage at the C from C-1' to C-4'. The 1' chemistry is almost eliminated and replaced by 4' chemistry, so that the latter accounts for 64% of the damage, mainly in the form of the 4'-hydroxylation product (abasic site) and a smaller amount of the DNA fragment with a phosphoglycolate at the 3' end (strand break). Substitution of the radiation sensitizer misonidazole for dioxygen markedly enhances partitioning of the 4' chemistry in favor of the glycolate-containing product. On the complementary strand the G.T mismatch results in an increase in 4' chemistry at the T residue, but 5' chemistry remains the main mechanism. When a G.A mismatch is inserted 5' to the C, there is a marked decrease in all damage at this site without detectable switching of chemistry. These results show that the diradical form of thiol-activated neocarzinostatin chromophore acts as sensitive probe of DNA microheterogeneity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115.
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Kappen
authors.forename: I H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Goldberg
mesh_terms: D001482:Base Composition; D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D004249:DNA Damage; D006147:Guanine; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008920:Misonidazole; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry*; D013941:Thymine; D009353:Zinostatin
chemical_list: D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D006147:Guanine; D008920:Misonidazole; D004247:DNA; D009353:Zinostatin; D013941:Thymine