Sequence effects on local DNA topology.
Nuclear Overhauser effect-derived distances between adenine H2 protons and anomeric H1' protons on the same strand or on the complementary strand are presented for several different DNA duplexes. The cross-strand (n)AH2 to (m + 1)H1' distances [designated as x, where (n) and (m) are complementary residues] vary by up to 1 A depending on the sequence. In all possible A-containing pyrimidine-purine steps (CA, TG, and TA), x is greater than 4.5 A. In GA steps, x varies within rather wide limits in the range 3.8-4.5 A, whereas in AA steps the lower limit is 3.7 A and the upper limit is approximately 4.2 A. In purine-purine steps, x is affected by at least three factors: (i) adjacent pyrimidine-purine steps at the 5' end [e.g., YRA sequences (where Y = T or C and R = G or A)], or a pyrimidine-purine step at the 3' end of the pyrimidine-pyrimidine step on the complementary strand, cause x to increase, (ii) an AT step at the 3' end of a purine-purine step (e.g., RAT) causes x to decrease, and (iii) substitution of bases at the next-nearest neighbor position leads to changes in x at GA and AA steps. The latter factor seems to be due to a cooperative effect arising from formation of the "anomalous" B' structure when the substitution produces an AnTm tract (which always produces a decrease in x). The data indicate that (n)AH2-(n + 1)H1' distances on the same strand (designated as s) are also sequence dependent. Thus on AA steps, neighboring substitutions produce the same effect on s as on the cross-strand x distances. The results lead to the ability to predict changes in AH2-H1' distances depending on the DNA sequence. By using high-resolution x-ray B-type structures as a set of allowable B conformations, a very good correlation was found between x and the minor groove width parameters P-P or H1'-H1'. Thus, the x distances are a direct probe of the minor groove width in B-type DNA, and changes in this distance therefore reflect changes in the minor groove width. Since many of the sequences studied are sites of protein recognition, the observed sequence-structure dependence in DNA probably plays an important role in the process of recognition by proteins and minor groove ligands such as drugs.
Research Computer Center, U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region.
V P
VP
Chuprina
A A
AA
Lipanov
Fedoroff OYu
S G
SG
Kim
A
A
Kintanar
B R
BR
Reid
D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D004247:DNA