Selection and Characterization of DNA Aptamers Against FokI Nuclease Domain.

Genome editing with site-specific nucleases (SSNs) may be effective for gene therapy, as SSNs can modify target genes. However, the main limitation of genome editing for clinical use is off-target effects by excess amounts of SSNs within cells. Therefore, a controlled delivery system for SSNs is necessary. Previously we have reported on a zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) delivery system, which combined DNA aptamers against FokI nuclease domain (FokI) and nanoneedles. Here, we describe how DNA aptamers against FokI were selected and characterized for genome editing applications.

C 3-symmetric opioid scaffolds are pH-responsive DNA condensation agents.

Herein we report the synthesis of tripodal C3-symmetric opioid scaffolds as high-affinity condensation agents of duplex DNA. Condensation was achieved on both supercoiled and canonical B-DNA structures and identified by agarose electrophoresis, viscosity, turbidity and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements. Structurally, the requirement of a tris-opioid scaffold for condensation is demonstrated as both di- (C2-symmetric) and mono-substituted (C1-symmetric) mesitylene-linked opioid derivatives poorly coordinate dsDNA. Condensation, observed by toroidal and globule AFM aggregation, arises from surface-binding ionic interactions between protonated, cationic, tertiary amine groups on the opioid skeleton and the phosphate nucleic acid backbone. Indeed, by converting the 6-hydroxyl group of C3-morphine ( MC3: ) to methoxy substituents in C3-heterocodeine ( HC3: ) and C3-oripavine ( OC3: ) molecules, dsDNA compaction is retained thus negating the possibility of phosphate-hydroxyl surface-binding. Tripodal opioid condensation was identified as pH dependent and strongly influenced by ionic strength with further evidence of cationic amine-phosphate backbone coordination arising from thermal melting analysis and circular dichroism spectroscopy, with compaction also witnessed on synthetic dsDNA co-polymers poly[d(A-T)2] and poly[d(G-C)2]. On-chip microfluidic analysis of DNA condensed by C3-agents provided concentration-dependent protection (inhibition) to site-selective excision by type II restriction enzymes: BamHI, HindIII, SalI and EcoRI, but not to the endonuclease DNase I.

Fok I cleavage-inhibition strategy for the specific and accurate detection of transcription factors.

Specific and accurate detection of transcription factors is critical for disease diagnosis and drug development. Here, we developed a novel and versatile fluorescent sensing strategy for specific and accurate detection of transcription factors based on the inhibition of endonuclease Fok I-catalyzed DNA cleavage reaction. A FAM-labeled double-stranded DNA probe (dsDNA probe) with transcription factor binding site and Fok I recognition site was designed for target recognition and signal transduction. With the binding of transcription factors, the dsDNA probes are protected from cleavage by Fok I. These protected dsDNA probes then cannot hybridize with the added BHQ-DNA, keeping the fluorescence of FAM in an on state. However, in the absence of targets, the dsDNA probes were cleaved to release the FAM-DNA, which subsequently hybridized with BHQ-DNA, resulting in the fluorescence of the FAM being quenched. With the Fok I-DNA interaction that can specifically recognize the transcription factor-DNA binding and accurately convert the detection of transcription factors to the detection of DNA, the proposed strategy realized the reliable detection of model target NF-κB p50 with a nanomolar detection limit. This strategy was also employed to detect the inhibition effect of oridonin, a known inhibitor of NF-κB. Furthermore, perfect recoveries were obtained when detecting the targets in HeLa cells lysate, demonstrating the feasibility of this strategy for transcription factor detection in biological samples.

RNA aptamer inhibitors of a restriction endonuclease.

Restriction endonucleases (REases) recognize and cleave short palindromic DNA sequences, protecting bacterial cells against bacteriophage infection by attacking foreign DNA. We are interested in the potential of folded RNA to mimic DNA, a concept that might be applied to inhibition of DNA-binding proteins. As a model system, we sought RNA aptamers against the REases BamHI, PacI and KpnI using systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). After 20 rounds of selection under different stringent conditions, we identified the 10 most enriched RNA aptamers for each REase. Aptamers were screened for binding and specificity, and assayed for REase inhibition. We obtained eight high-affinity (Kd ∼12-30 nM) selective competitive inhibitors (IC50 ∼20-150 nM) for KpnI. Predicted RNA secondary structures were confirmed by in-line attack assay and a 38-nt derivative of the best anti-KpnI aptamer was sufficient for inhibition. These competitive inhibitors presumably act as KpnI binding site analogs, but lack the primary consensus KpnI cleavage sequence and are not cleaved by KpnI, making their potential mode of DNA mimicry fascinating. Anti-REase RNA aptamers could have value in studies of REase mechanism and may give clues to a code for designing RNAs that competitively inhibit DNA binding proteins including transcription factors.

Highly sensitive fluorescence assay of DNA methyltransferase activity by methylation-sensitive cleavage-based primer generation exponential isothermal amplification-induced G-quadruplex formation.

Site-specific identification of DNA methylation and assay of MTase activity are imperative for determining specific cancer types, provide insights into the mechanism of gene repression, and develop novel drugs to treat methylation-related diseases. Herein, we developed a highly sensitive fluorescence assay of DNA methyltransferase by methylation-sensitive cleavage-based primer generation exponential isothermal amplification (PG-EXPA) coupled with supramolecular fluorescent Zinc(II)-protoporphyrin IX (ZnPPIX)/G-quadruplex. In the presence of DNA adenine methylation (Dam) MTase, the methylation-responsive sequence of hairpin probe is methylated and cleaved by the methylation-sensitive restriction endonuclease Dpn I. The cleaved hairpin probe then functions as a signal primer to initiate the exponential isothermal amplification reaction (EXPAR) by hybridizing with a unimolecular DNA containing three functional domains as the amplification template, producing a large number of G-quadruplex nanostructures by utilizing polymerases and nicking enzymes as mechanical activators. The G-quadruplex nanostructures act as host for ZnPPIX that lead to supramolecular complexes ZnPPIX/G-quadruplex, which provides optical labels for amplified fluorescence detection of Dam MTase. While in the absence of Dam MTase, neither methylation/cleavage nor PG-EXPA reaction can be initiated and no fluorescence signal is observed. The proposed method exhibits a wide dynamic range from 0.0002 to 20U/mL and an extremely low detection limit of 8.6×10(-5)U/mL, which is superior to most conventional approaches for the MTase assay. Owing to the specific site recognition of MTase toward its substrate, the proposed sensing system was able to readily discriminate Dam MTase from other MTase such as M.SssI and even detect the target in a complex biological matrix. Furthermore, the application of the proposed sensing strategy for screening Dam MTase inhibitors was also demonstrated with satisfactory results. This novel method not only provides a promising platform for monitoring activity and inhibition of DNA MTases, but also shows great potentials in biological process researches, drugs discovery and clinical diagnostics.

The phosphate clamp: sequence selective nucleic acid binding profiles and conformational induction of endonuclease inhibition by cationic Triplatin complexes.

The substitution-inert polynuclear platinum(II) complex (PPC) series, [{trans-Pt(NH3)2(NH2(CH2)nNH3)}2-µ-(trans-Pt(NH3)2(NH2(CH2)nNH2)2}](NO3)8, where n = 5 (AH78P), 6 (AH78 TriplatinNC) and 7 (AH78H), are potent non-covalent DNA binding agents where nucleic acid recognition is achieved through use of the 'phosphate clamp' where the square-planar tetra-am(m)ine Pt(II) coordination units all form bidentate N-O-N complexes through hydrogen bonding with phosphate oxygens. The modular nature of PPC-DNA interactions results in high affinity for calf thymus DNA (Kapp ∼5 × 10(7) M(-1)). The phosphate clamp-DNA interactions result in condensation of superhelical and B-DNA, displacement of intercalated ethidium bromide and facilitate cooperative binding of Hoechst 33258 at the minor groove. The effect of linker chain length on DNA conformational changes was examined and the pentane-bridged complex, AH78P, was optimal for condensing DNA with results in the nanomolar region. Analysis of binding affinity and conformational changes for sequence-specific oligonucleotides by ITC, dialysis, ICP-MS, CD and 2D-(1)H NMR experiments indicate that two limiting modes of phosphate clamp binding can be distinguished through their conformational changes and strongly suggest that DNA condensation is driven by minor-groove spanning. Triplatin-DNA binding prevents endonuclease activity by type II restriction enzymes BamHI, EcoRI and SalI, and inhibition was confirmed through the development of an on-chip microfluidic protocol.

Hybridization chain reaction-based branched rolling circle amplification for chemiluminescence detection of DNA methylation.

A novel hybridization chain reaction-based branched rolling circle amplification combining the fabrication of multi-HRP-capped MNPs is developed for chemiluminescence detection of DNA methyltransferase activities and inhibitors with high sensitivity in a well-controlled manner.

Differential inhibition of restriction enzyme cleavage by chromophore-modified analogues of the antitumour antibiotics mithramycin and chromomycin reveals structure-activity relationships.

Differential cleavage at three restriction enzyme sites was used to determine the specific binding to DNA of the antitumour antibiotics mithramycin A (MTA), chromomycin A(3) (CRO) and six chromophore-modified analogues bearing shorter side chains attached at C-3, instead of the pentyl chain. All these antibiotics were obtained through combinatorial biosynthesis in the producer organisms. MTA, CRO and their six analogues showed differences in their capacity for inhibiting the rate of cleavage by restriction enzymes that recognize C/G-rich tracts. Changes in DNA melting temperature produced by these molecules were also analyzed, as well as their antiproliferative activities against a panel of colon, ovarian and prostate human carcinoma cell lines. Moreover, the cellular uptake of several analogues was examined to identify whether intracellular retention was related to cytotoxicity. These experimental approaches provided mutually consistent evidence of a seeming correlation between the strength of binding to DNA and the antiproliferative activity of the chromophore-modified molecules. Four of the analogues (mithramycin SK, mithramycin SDK, chromomycin SK and chromomycin SDK) showed promising biological profiles.

Sequence-selective interaction of the minor-groove interstrand cross-linking agent SJG-136 with naked and cellular DNA: footprinting and enzyme inhibition studies.

SJG-136 (3) is a novel pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimer that is predicted from molecular models to bind in the minor groove of DNA and to form sequence-selective interstrand cross-links at 5'-Pu-GATC-Py-3' (Pu = purine; Py = pyrimidine) sites through covalent bonding between each PBD unit and guanines on opposing strands. Footprinting studies have confirmed that high-affinity adducts do form at 5'-G-GATC-C-3' sequences and that these can inhibit RNA polymerase in a sequence-selective manner. At higher concentrations of SJG-136, bands that migrate more slowly than one of the 5'-G-GATC-C-3' footprint sites show significantly reduced intensity, concomitant with the appearance of higher molecular weight material near the gel origin. This phenomenon is attributed to interstrand cross-linking at the 5'-G-GATC-C-3' site and is the first report of DNA footprinting being used to detect interstrand cross-linked adducts. The control dimer GD113 (4), of similar structure to SJG-136 but unable to cross-link DNA due to its C7/C7'-linkage rather than C8/C8'-linkage, neither produces footprints with the same DNA sequence nor blocks transcription at comparable concentrations. In addition to the two high-affinity 5'-G-GATC-C-3' footprints on the MS2 DNA sequence, other SJG-136 adducts of lower affinity are observed that can still block transcription but with lower efficiency. All these sites contain the 5'-GXXC-3' motif (where XX includes AG, TA, GC, CT, TT, GG, and TC) and represent less-favored cross-link sites. In time-course experiments, SJG-136 blocks transcription if incubated with a double-stranded DNA template before the transcription components are added; addition after transcription is initiated fails to elicit blockage. Single-strand ligation PCR studies on a sequence from the c-jun gene show that SJG-136 binds to 5'-GAAC-3'/5'-GTTC-3' (preferred) or 5'-GAGC-3'/5'-GCTC-3' sequences. Significantly, adducts are obtained at the same sequences following extraction of DNA from drug-treated K562 cells, confirming that the agent reaches the cellular genome and interacts with the DNA in a sequence-selective fashion. Finally, SJG-136 efficiently inhibits the action of restriction endonuclease BglII, which has a 5'-A-GATC-T-3' motif at its cleavage site.

Recombinant expression and characterization of an extremely hyperthermophilic archaeal histone from Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3.

A histone-like gene, PHS051 from hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3 strain, was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant histone, HPhA, encodes a protein of 70 amino acids with a molecular weight of 7868Da. Amino acid sequence analysis of HPhA showed high homology with other archaeal histones and eukaryal core histones. The HPhA was purified to homogeneity by heat precipitation and affinity chromatography. Gel electrophoresis mobility shift assays demonstrate that the purified HPhA has high affinity to DNA. The complex of the HPhA and DNA allows DNA to be protected from cleavage by the restriction enzyme TaqI at 65 degrees C. Circular dichroism spectra reveal that the conformation of the recombinant histone HPhA becomes looser when temperatures increase from 25 to 90 degrees C. The HPhA has inherited a remarkable thermostability especially in the presence of 1M KCl and retained DNA binding activity at extreme temperature, which is consistent with our previous report about its structure stability analyzed by X-ray crystallography.

Multiple metal ions drive DNA association by PvuII endonuclease.

Restriction enzymes serve as important model systems for understanding the role of metal ions in phosphodiester hydrolysis. To this end, a number of laboratories have reported dramatic differences between the metal ion-dependent and metal ion-independent DNA binding behaviors of these systems. In an effort to illuminate the underlying mechanistic details which give rise to these differences, we have quantitatively dissected these equilibrium behaviors into component association and dissociation rates for the representative PvuII endonuclease and use these data to assess the stoichiometry of metal ion involvement in the binding process. The dependence of PvuII cognate DNA on Ca(II) concentration binding appears to be cooperative, exhibiting half-saturation at 0.6 mM metal ion and yielding an n(H) of 3.5 +/- 0.2 per enzyme homodimer. Using both nitrocellulose filter binding and fluorescence assays, we observe that the cognate DNA dissociation rate (k(-)(1) or k(off)) is very slow (10(-)(3) s(-)(1)) and exhibits a shallow dependence on metal ion concentration. DNA trap cleavage experiments with Mg(II) confirm the general irreversibility of DNA binding relative to cleavage, even at low metal ion concentrations. More dramatically, the association rate (k(1) or k(on)) also appears to be cooperative, increasing more than 100-fold between 0.2 and 10 mM Ca(II), with an optimum value of 2.7 x 10(7) M(-)(1) s (-)(1). Hill analysis of the metal ion dependence of k(on) indicates an n(H) of 3.6 +/- 0.2 per enzyme dimer. This value is consistent with the involvement in DNA association of two metal ions per subunit active site, a result which lends new strength to arguments for two-metal ion mechanisms in restriction enzymes.

Properties and secondary structure analysis of BanI endonuclease: identification of putative active site.

Biochemical properties of Type II restriction enzyme BanI were characterized. Kinetic parameters were evaluated and an enhancement of rate was observed when the recognition site was located in a more central position in the substrate, suggesting that BanI locates its recognition site by a sliding mechanism. As BanI has three cysteine residues in its primary sequence, the effect of thiol inhibitors on BanI activity was also studied. Partial inhibition was observed only at a very high concentration of the inhibitor indicating that cysteine residues are not directly involved in catalysis. The gel electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated specific complex formation between BanI and the DNA substrate in the presence of poly dI-dC and Mg(2+). A secondary structure analysis and comparison with EcoRI and BamHI crystal structure revealed a putative active site similar to that seen in BamHI but different in the order in which the catalytic domain (central beta-sheet) and recognition domain (adjacent alpha-helix) were arranged in the protein.

Binding of SSB and RecA protein to DNA-containing stem loop structures: SSB ensures the polarity of RecA polymerization on single-stranded DNA.

Single-stranded DNA-binding proteins play an important role in homologous pairing and strand exchange promoted by the class of RecA-like proteins. It is presumed that SSB facilitates binding of RecA on to ssDNA by melting secondary structure, but direct physical evidence for the disruption of secondary structure by either SSB or RecA is still lacking. Using a series of oligonucleotides with increasing amounts of secondary structure, we show that stem loop structures impede contiguous binding of RecA and affect the rate of ATP hydrolysis. The electrophoretic mobility shift of a ternary complex of SSB-DNA-RecA and a binary complex of SSB-DNA are similar; however, the mechanism remains obscure. Binding of RecA on to stem loop is rapid in the presence of SSB or ATPgammaS and renders the complex resistant to cleavage by HaeIII, to higher amounts of competitor DNA or low temperature. The elongation of RecA filament in a 5' to 3' direction is halted at the proximal end of the stem. Consequently, RecA nucleates at the loop and cooperative binding propagates the RecA filament down the stem causing its disruption. The pattern of modification of thymine residues in the loop region indicates that RecA monomer is the minimum binding unit. Together, these results suggest that SSB plays a novel role in ensuring the directionality of RecA polymerization across stem loop in ssDNA. These observations have fundamental implications on the role of SSB in multiple aspects of cellular DNA metabolism.

Topostatin, a novel inhibitor of topoisomerases I and II produced by Thermomonospora alba strain No. 1520. III. Inhibitory properties.

A novel inhibitor of topoisomerases designated as topostatin was isolated from the culture filtrate of Thermomonospora alba strain No. 1520. The inhibitory activity of topostatin was shown to be pH- and temperature-dependent with a maximum around at pH 6 and 28 degrees C. The stability of topostatin decreased with decreasing pH and rising temperature. Topostatin inhibited topoisomerases I and II in a competitive manner with respect to DNA. The inhibitor also inhibited some restriction endonucleases such as Sca I, Hind III and Pst I, but not Alu I, Bam HI, Eco RI, RNase A, DNase I, DNase II and DNA ligase. Topostatin did not induce the nuclear accumulation of p53 protein by DNA damage in the normal human cells.

Inhibition of restriction endonuclease cleavage by triple helix formation with RNA and 2'-O-methyl RNA oligonucleotides containing 8-oxo-adenosine in place of cytidine.

The ability of homopyrimidine oligoribonucleotides (RNA) and oligo-2'-O-methyl-ribonucleotides (2'-O-methyl RNA) containing 8-oxo-adenosine (AOH) and 8-oxo-2'-O-methyl (AmOH) adenosine to form stable, triple-helical structures with sequences containing the recognition site for the class II-S restriction enzyme, Ksp632-I, was studied as a function of pH. The AOH- and AmOH-substituted RNA and 2'-O-methyl RNA oligonucleotides were shown to bind within the physiological pH range in a pH-independent fashion, without a compromise in specificity. The substitutions of three cytidine residues with AOH showed higher endonuclease inhibition than the substitution of either one or two cytidine residues with AOH. In particular, the 2'-O-methyl RNA oligonucleotide with only one cytidine substituted with AmOH showed higher endonuclease inhibition than the homopyrimidine RNA and 2'-O-methyl RNA oligonucleotides and the RNA oligonucleotides containing either one or two AOH moieties. Furthermore, the AmOH-substituted 2'-O-methyl RNA oligonucleotides were stable (53%) after an incubation in 10% fetal bovine serum for 8 h, whereas the RNA oligonucleotides were completely degraded. Increased resistance to nucleases is observed with the introduction of 2'-O-methylnucleosides. This stabilization should help us to design much more efficient third strand homopyrimidine oligomer and antisense nucleic acid-based antiviral therapies, which could be used as tools in cellular biology.

Transition-metal complexes as inhibitors of proteins recognizing double-stranded fragments of nucleic acids.

A 30-membered DNA duplex containing the recognition site of restriction endonuclease SsoII and a 30-membered RNA--DNA hybrid duplex, a substrate of E. coli RNase H, were synthesized. The cleavage of the 30-membered fragments of nucleic acids catalyzed by endonucleases in the presence of Co-phthalocyanine complex [CoPc(COONa)8] containing eight carboxyl groups at the periphery of the ligand was studied. It was shown that the efficiency of enzyme catalysis decreases in the presence of the metal complex for both endonucleases. By addition of a 100-fold excess of Co-phthalocyanine complex with respect to DNA duplex the initial rate of substrate hydrolysis by restriction endonuclease SsoII is observed to decrease twice. An equimolar ratio of the metal complex and hybrid duplex leads to essentially complete inhibition of RNA cleavage by RNase H from E. coli. The inhibition of catalytic activity of enzymes recognizing the double-stranded nucleic acids in the presence of Co-phthalocyanine complex is assumed to be caused by the ability of the latter to interact with DNA, RNA, and DNA--RNA duplexes.

Sequence specific modulation of DNA restriction enzyme cleavage by minor groove binders.

The inhibition of restriction endonuclease cleavage by a series of bisquaternary ammonium derivatives (BQA-derivatives) which bind to the minor groove of DNA has been studied. The derivatives considered included six sequence-selective binders (SN 6570, SN 6999, SN 6050, SN 6132, SN 6131 and SN 18071) and four non-specific binders (SN 6113, SN 5754, SN 6324 and SN 4094) and can be distinguished by their activity on restriction endonucleases. Digestion experiments with pUC19 DNA were monitored electrophoretically using the transition of the covalently closed circular (ccc) DNA into the linear double stranded (lds) one. Only the sequence-specific binders inhibit the cleavage activity of restriction endonucleases EcoRI, SspI and DraI with four and six dAdT-base pairs within their restriction sites, while the activity of SalI and BamHI with less than four dAdT-sequences was unaffected. In contrast, the non-specific binding ligands were incapable of suppressing enzyme digestion. The inhibition of the restriction endonuclease PvuII indicates that ligand binding in close vicinity to the cleavage sites is also involved in the enzyme inhibition. The dAdT-content in proximity to the palindromic sequences of three DraI cutting sites in pUC19 DNA explains why the derivative SN 6053 protects these sequences in different manners. Gel shift experiments indicated that BQA-derivatives inhibit the DNA-enzyme complex formation if the ligand was added to the DNA before the enzyme. In contrast, complex formation between DNA and enzyme remained unchanged when the enzyme was added first.

A novel restriction endonuclease UnbI, a neoschizomer of Sau96I from an unidentified psychrofilic bacterium from Antarctica is inhibited by phosphate ions.

A novel type II restriction endonuclease UnbI was isolated from an unidentified psychrofilic bacterial strain from Antarctica. UnbI recognizes and cleaves the sequence 5'-GGNCC-3', producing 5 nucleotide long sticky ends. In this respect it differs from its neoschizomer Sau96I and all other restriction enzymes recognizing this sequence. UnbI has a relatively low temperature optimum of 15 degrees C to 20 degrees C and its activity is completely inhibited by inorganic phosphate.

Effects on NaeI-DNA recognition of the leucine to lysine substitution that transforms restriction endonuclease NaeI to a topoisomerase: a model for restriction endonuclease evolution.

Substituting lysine for leucine at position 43 (L43K) transforms NaeI from restriction endonuclease to topoisomerase and makes NaeI hypersensitive to intercalative anticancer drugs. Here we investigated DNA recognition by Nael-L43K. Using DNA competition and gel retardation assays, NaeI-L43K showed reduced affinity for DNA substrate and the ability to bind both single- and double-stranded DNA with a definite preference for the former. Sedimentation studies showed that under native conditions NaeI-L43K, like NaeI, is a dimer. Introduction of mismatched bases into double-stranded DNA significantly increased that DNA's ability to inhibit NaeI-L43K. Wild-type NaeI showed no detectable binding of either single-stranded DNA or mismatched DNA over the concentration range studied. These results demonstrate that the L43K substitution caused a significant change in recognition specificity by NaeI and imply that NaeI-L43K's topoisomerase activity is related to its ability to bind single-stranded and distorted regions in DNA. A mechanism is proposed for the evolution of the NaeI restriction-modification system from a topoisomerase/ligase by a mutation that abolished religation activity and provided a needed change in DNA recognition.