title: Probing the recognition surface of a DNA triplex: binding studies with intercalator-neomycin conjugates.
abstract: Thermodynamic studies on the interactions between intercalator-neomycin conjugates and a DNA polynucleotide triplex [poly(dA).2poly(dT)] were conducted. To draw a complete picture of such interactions, naphthalene diimide-neomycin (3) and anthraquinone-neomycin (4) conjugates were synthesized and used together with two other analogues, previously synthesized pyrene-neomycin (1) and BQQ-neomycin (2) conjugates, in our investigations. A combination of experiments, including UV denaturation, circular dichroism (CD) titration, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), revealed that all four conjugates (1-4) stabilized poly(dA).2poly(dT) much more than its parent compound, neomycin. UV melting experiments clearly showed that the temperature (T(m3-->2)) at which poly(dA).2poly(dT) dissociated into poly(dA).poly(dT) and poly(dT) increased dramatically (>12 degrees C) in the presence of intercalator-neomycin conjugates (1-4) even at a very low concentration (2 muM). In contrast to intercalator-neomycin conjugates, the increment of T(m3-->2) of poly(dA).2poly(dT) induced by neomycin was negligible under the same conditions. The binding preference of intercalator-neomycin conjugates (1-4) to poly(dA).2poly(dT) was also confirmed by competition dialysis and a fluorescent intercalator displacement assay. Circular dichroism titration studies revealed that compounds 1-4 had slightly larger binding site size ( approximately 7-7.5) with poly(dA).2poly(dT) as compared to neomycin ( approximately 6.5). The thermodynamic parameters of these intercalator-neomycin conjugates with poly(dA).2poly(dT) were derived from an integrated van't Hoff equation using the T(m3-->2) values, the binding site size numbers, and other parameters obtained from DSC and ITC. The binding affinity of all tested ligands with poly(dA).2poly(dT) increased in the following order: neomycin < 1 < 3 < 4 < 2. Among them, the binding constant [(2.7 +/- 0.3) x 10(8) M(-1)] of 2 with poly(dA).2poly(dT) was the highest, almost 1000-fold greater than that of neomycin. The binding of compounds 1-4 with poly(dA).2poly(dT) was mostly enthalpy-driven and gave negative DeltaC(p) values. The results described here suggest that the binding affinity of intercalator-neomycin conjugates for poly(dA).2poly(dT) increases as a function of the surface area of the intercalator moiety.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, USA.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Hongjuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xi
authors.forename: Sunil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Paris
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Skriba
authors.forename: Dev P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Arya
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D007364:Intercalating Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D009355:Neomycin / Q000737:chemistry*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009691:Nucleic Acid Denaturation; D011061:Poly A; D011071:Poly T; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D007364:Intercalating Agents; C051802:triplex DNA; D011061:Poly A; D011071:Poly T; D004247:DNA; D009355:Neomycin