Organocatalyzed Intramolecular Carbonyl-Ene Reactions.

An organocatalyzed intramolecular carbonyl-ene reaction was developed to produce carbocyclic and heterocyclic 5- and 6-membered rings from a citronellal-derived trifluoroketone and a variety of aldehydes. A phosphoramide derivative was found to promote the cyclization of the trifluoroketone, whereas a less acidic phosphoric acid proved to be a superior catalyst for the aldehyde substrates.

In-Gene Quantification of O(6)-Methylguanine with Elongated Nucleoside Analogues on Gold Nanoprobes.

Exposure of DNA to chemicals can result in the formation of DNA adducts, a molecular initiating event in genotoxin-induced carcinogenesis. O(6)-Methylguanine (O(6)-MeG) is a highly mutagenic DNA adduct that forms in human genomic DNA upon reaction with methylating agents of dietary, environmental, or endogenous origin. In this work, we report the design and synthesis of novel non-natural nucleoside analogues 1'-ß-[1-naphtho[2,3-d]imidazol-2(3H)-one)]-2'-deoxy-d-ribofuranose and 1'-ß-[1-naphtho[2,3-d]imidazole]-2'-deoxy-d-ribofuranose and their use for quantifying O(6)-MeG within mutational hotspots of the human KRAS gene. The novel nucleoside analogues were incorporated into oligonucleotides conjugated to gold nanoparticles to comprise a DNA hybridization probe system for detecting O(6)-MeG in a sequence-specific manner on the basis of colorimetric readout of the nanoparticles. The concept described herein is unique in utilizing new nucleoside analogues with elongated hydrophobic surfaces to successfully measure in-gene abundance of O(6)-MeG in mixtures with competing unmodified DNA.

Oligonucleotide probes containing pyrimidine analogs reveal diminished hydrogen bonding capacity of the DNA adduct O6-methyl-G in DNA duplexes.

Oligonucleotide hybridization probes containing nucleoside analogs offer a potential strategy for binding specific DNA sequences that bear pro-mutagenic O(6)-G alkylation adducts. To optimize O(6)-Me-G-targeting probes, an understanding of how base pairs with O(6)-Me-G are stabilized is needed. In this study, we compared the ability of O(6)-Me-G and G to hydrogen bond with three pyrimidine-like nucleobases (Z, 4-thio-U, and 3-deaza-C) bearing varied hydrogen bond donor and acceptor groups. We found that duplexes containing the pyrimidine analog nucleoside:G pairs were more thermodynamically stable than those containing pyrimidine analog nucleoside:O(6)-alkyl-G pairs. Thus, hydrogen bonding alone was not sufficient to impart selectivity to probes that target O(6)-G alkylation adducts in DNA.

Influence of chlorine substitution on the hydrolytic stability of biaryl ether nucleoside adducts produced by phenolic toxins.

A kinetic study is reported for the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of oxygen (O)-linked biaryl ether 8-2'-deoxyguanosine (dG) adducts produced by phenolic toxins following metabolism into phenoxyl radical intermediates. Strikingly, the reaction rate of hydrolysis at pH 1 decreases as electron-withdrawing chlorine (Cl) substituents are added to the phenoxyl ring. The Hammett plot for hydrolysis at pH 1 shows a linear negative slope with ρX = -0.65, implying that increased Cl-substitution diminishes the rate of hydrolysis by lowering N(7) basicity. Spectrophotometric titration provided an N(7)H(+) pKa value of 1.1 for the unsubstituted adduct 8-phenoxy-dG (Ph-O-dG). Model pyridine compounds suggest N(7)H(+) pKa values of 0.92 and 0.37 for 4-Cl-Ph-O-dG and 2,6-dichloro-Ph-O-dG (DCP-O-dG), respectively. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations also highlight the ability of the 8-phenoxy substituent to lower N(7) basicity and predict a preference for N(3)-protonation for highly chlorinated O-linked 8-dG adducts in water. The calculations also provide a rationale for the hydrolytic reactivity of O-linked 8-dG adducts in the gas-phase, as determined using electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The inclusion of our data now establishes that the order of hydrolytic reactivity at neutral pH for bulky 8-dG adducts is N-linked > C-linked > O-linked, which correlates with their relative ease of N(7)-protonation.

Synthesis of oxygen-linked 8-phenoxyl-deoxyguanosine nucleoside analogues.

Nucleobase adducts, which form in vivo by the nucleophilic attack of nucleobases on exogenous electrophilic species, can impact conformation and biological influences of the adducted nucleoside. Contemporary studies aim to address the occurrence and relevance of O-linked 8-phenoxy-purine adducts; however, preparative techniques for synthesizing these nucleosides were not previously described. Reported herein is a relatively facile synthesis of O-linked 8-dG phenol adducts with a wide variety of electron-donating, electron-withdrawing, and sterically demanding phenols.

A Useful Modification of the Evans Magnesium Halide-Catalyzed anti-Aldol Reaction: Application to Enolizable Aldehydes.

A practical protocol for use of the magnesium halide-catalyzed anti-aldol reaction of an Evans N-acyloxazolidinone with enolizable aldehydes is reported. The yields of anti-aldol adducts for saturated or unsaturated and branched or unbranched aliphatic aldehydes are preparatively useful.

Investigating the biochemical impact of DNA damage with structure-based probes: abasic sites, photodimers, alkylation adducts, and oxidative lesions.

DNA sustains a wide variety of damage, such as the formation of abasic sites, pyrimidine dimers, alkylation adducts, or oxidative lesions, upon exposure to UV radiation, alkylating agents, or oxidative conditions. Since these forms of damage may be acutely toxic or mutagenic and potentially carcinogenic, it is of interest to gain insight into how their structures impact biochemical processing of DNA, such as synthesis, transcription, and repair. Lesion-specific molecular probes have been used to study polymerase-mediated translesion DNA synthesis of abasic sites and TT dimers, while other probes have been developed for specifically investigating the alkylation adduct O(6)-Bn-G and the oxidative lesion 8-oxo-G. In this review, recent examples of lesion-specific molecular probes are surveyed; their specificities of incorporation opposite target lesions compared to unmodified nucleotides are discussed, and limitations of their applications under physiologically relevant conditions are assessed.