title: Duplex-promoted platination of adenine-N3 in the minor groove of DNA: challenging a longstanding bioinorganic paradigm.
abstract: The interactions of [Pt(en)Cl(ACRAMTU-S)](NO3)2 (PT-ACRAMTU, en = ethane-1,2-diamine, ACRAMTU = 1-[2-(acridin-9-ylamino)ethyl]-1,3-dimethylthiourea) with adenine in DNA have been studied using a combination of analytical and high-resolution structural methods. For the first time, a cytotoxic platinum(II) complex has been demonstrated to form adducts in the minor groove of DNA through platination of the adenine-N3 endocyclic nitrogen. An acidic depurination assay was developed that allowed the controlled and selective (pH 2, 60 degrees C, 12 h) release of platinum-modified adenine from drug-treated nucleic acid samples. From the digested mixtures, three adducts were isolated by semipreparative reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography and studied by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (in-line LC-MS), variable-pH 1H NMR spectroscopy, and, where applicable, X-ray crystallography. The three species were identified as the N7 (A-I), N3 (A-II), and N1 (A-III) linkage isomers of [Pt(en)(ACRAMTU-S)(adenine)]3+ (A). Incubations carried out with the single- and double-stranded model sequences, d(TA)5 and d(TA)15, as well as native DNA indicate that the adduct profiles (A-I:A-II:A-IIIratios) are sensitive to the nature of the nucleic acid template. A-II was found to be a double-strand specific adduct. The crystal structure of this adduct has been determined, providing ultimate evidence for the N3 connectivity of platinum. A-II crystallizes in the triclinic space group P in the form of centrosymmetric dimers, {[Pt(en)(ACRAMTU-S)(adenine-N3)]2}6+. The cations are stabilized by a combination of adenine-adenine base pairing (N6...N1 2.945(5) A) and mutual acridine-adenine base stacking. Tandem mass spectra and 1H chemical shift anomalies indicate that this type of self-association is not merely a crystal packing effect but persists in solution. The monofunctional platination of adenine at its N7, N3, and N1 positions in a significant fraction of adducts breaks a longstanding paradigm in platinum-DNA chemistry, the requirement for nucleophilic attack of guanine-N7 as the principal step in cross-link formation. The biological consequences and potential therapeutic applications of the unique base and groove recognition of PT-ACRAMTU are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Wake Forest University, PO Box 7486, Reynolda Station, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27109, USA.
authors.forename: Colin G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: Cynthia S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Day
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bierbach
mesh_terms: D000225:Adenine / Q000737:chemistry*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects; D018736:DNA Adducts / Q000737:chemistry*; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D014508:Urea / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: C471910:1-(2-(acridin-9-ylamino)ethyl)-1,3-dimethylthiourea; D018736:DNA Adducts; D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds; D014508:Urea; D004247:DNA; C427203:calf thymus DNA; D000225:Adenine