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To develop a high-affinity aptamer against AML1 Runt domain, two aptamers were conjugated based on their structural information. The newly designed aptamer Apt14 was generated by the conjugation of two RNA aptamers (Apt1 and Apt4) obtained by SELEX against AML1 Runt domain, resulting in improvement in its binding performance. The residues of AML1 Runt domain in contact with Apt14 were predicted in silico and confirmed by mutation and NMR analyses. It was suggested that the conjugated internal loop renders additional contacts and is responsible for the enhancement in the binding affinity. Conjugation of two aptamers that bind to different sites of the target protein is a facile and robust strategy to develop an aptamer with higher performance., (© The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Japanese Biochemical Society. All rights reserved.)

Since pyrimidine motif triplex DNA is unstable at physiological neutral pH, triplex stabilization at physiological neutral pH is important for improvement of its potential to be applied to various methods in vivo, such as repression of gene expression, mapping of genomic DNA and gene-targeted mutagenesis. For this purpose, we studied the thermodynamic and kinetic effects of a chemical modification, 2'-O,4'-C-ethylene bridged nucleic acid (ENA) modification of triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO), on pyrimidine motif triplex formation at physiological neutral pH. Thermodynamic investigations indicated that the modification achieved more than 10-fold increase in the binding constant of the triplex formation. The increased number of the modification in TFO enhanced the increased magnitude of the binding constant. On the basis of the obtained thermodynamic parameters, we suggested that the remarkably increased binding constant by the modification may result from the increased stiffness of TFO in the unbound state. Kinetic studies showed that the considerably decreased dissociation rate constant resulted in the observed increased binding constant by the modification. We conclude that ENA modification of TFO could be a useful chemical modification to promote the triplex formation under physiological neutral condition, and may advance various triplex formation-based methods in vivo.

Due to instability of pyrimidine motif triplex nucleic acid under physiological pH and low magnesium ion concentration, stabilization of the triplex under the physiological condition is crucial in improving its therapeutic potential to artificially control gene expression in vivo. To this end, we investigated the thermodynamic and kinetic effects of morpholino (MOR) modification of triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO) on the triplex formation under the physiological condition. The thermodynamic analyses indicated that the MOR modification of TFO not only significantly increased the thermal stability of the triplex but also increased the binding constant for the triplex formation by nearly 2 orders of magnitude. The consideration of the observed thermodynamic parameters suggested that the increased rigidity of the MOR-modified TFO in the free state relative to the corresponding unmodified TFO may enable the significant increase in the binding constant. Kinetic data demonstrated that the observed increase in the binding constant resulted from the considerable increase in the association rate constant rather than the decrease in the dissociation rate constant. This information will be valuable for designing novel chemically modified TFO with higher binding affinity in the triplex formation under physiological conditions, leading to progress in therapeutic applications of the antigene strategy in vivo.

Fission yeast telomeric DNA sequence, SP4G4: 5'-(GGGGTTAC)(4)-3' has been reported to form the antiparallel tetraplex in the presence of K(+). We examined the structural properties of budding yeast telomeric DNA sequences, SCTELG4: 5'-(TGGGTGT G)(4)-3' and SCTELGG4: 5'-(TGGGTGTGG)(4)-3', in the presence of K(+). The major conformation of SCTELG4 and SCTELGG4 was a parallel tetraplex DNA. We also examined the interaction between tetraplex-binding ligand, TMPyP4, and each of the antiparallel tetraplex of SP4G4 and the parallel tetraplex of SCTELG4 and SCTELGG4. The ability of TMPyP4 to bind with all of the tetraplexes was observed. We conclude that TMPyP4 has the ability to bind with both the parallel and antiparallel tetraplex of the telomeric DNA sequences from budding and fission yeasts.

We have already found that Hg(II) cation specifically binds to T:T mismatch base pair in heteroduplex DNA, which increases the melting temperature of heteroduplex DNA involving T:T mismatch base pair by about 4 degrees C. We have also found that Ag(I) cation specifically binds to C:C mismatch base pair in heteroduplex DNA, which increases the melting temperature of heteroduplex DNA involving C:C mismatch base pair by about 4 degrees C. Using the specific interaction, we developed a novel device to trap each of Hg(II) and Ag(I) cation. The device is composed of 5'-biotinylated T-rich or C-rich DNA oligonucleotides, BIO-T20: 5'-Bio-T(20)-3' or BIO-C20: 5'-Bio-C(20)-3' (Bio is a biotin), immobilized on streptavidin-coated polystylene beads. When the BIO-T20-immobilized beads were added to a solution containing Hg(II) cation, and the beads trapping Hg(II) cation were collected by centrifugation, almost all of Hg(II) cation were removed from the solution. Also, when the BIO-C20-immobilized beads were added to a solution containing Ag(I) cation, and the beads trapping Ag(I) cation were collected by centrifugation, almost all of Ag(I) cation were removed from the solution. We conclude that, using the novel device developed in this study, Hg(II) and Ag(I) cation can be effectively removed from the solution.

We examined the structural properties of budding yeast telomeric DNA sequences, SCTELG4: 5'-(TGGG TGTG)(4)-3' and SCTELGG4: 5'-(TGGGTGTGG)(4)-3', in the presence of Na(+) or K(+). The conformation of SCTELG4 with Na(+) was a mixture of parallel tetraplex DNA and unstructured single-stranded DNA. On the other hand, the conformation of SCTELGG4 with Na(+) was a mixture of parallel and antiparallel tetraplex DNA. The ratio of the amount of parallel tetraplex to that of unstructured single-strand was increased for SCTELG4 by the presence of K(+). The conformation of almost all of SCTELGG4 was changed into parallel tetraplex by the presence of K(+). These results indicate that structural change of SCTELG4 and SCTELGG4 may be induced by the type of cation. We conclude that the conformation of budding yeast telomeric DNA sequences depends on the base sequence and the type of cation.

We have already found that Hg(II) cation specifically binds to T:T mismatch base pair in heteroduplex DNA, which increases the melting temperature of heteroduplex DNA involving T:T mismatch base pair by about 4 degrees C. We have also found that Ag(I) cation specifically binds to C:C mismatch base pair in heteroduplex DNA, which increases the melting temperature of heteroduplex DNA involving C:C mismatch base pair by about 4 degrees C. Using the specific interaction, we developed a novel sensor to determine the concentration of each of Hg(II) and Ag(I) cation. The sensor is composed of a dye-labelled T-rich or C-rich DNA oligonucleotide, F2T6W2D: 5'-Fam-T(2)CT(2)CT(2)C(4)T(2)GT(2)GT(2)-Dabcyl-3' or F2C6W2D: 5'-Fam-C(2)TC(2)TC(2)T(4)C(2)AC(2)AC(2)-Dabcyl-3', where 6-carboxyfluorescein (Fam) is a fluorophore and Dabcyl is a quencher. The addition of Hg(II) cation decreased the intensity of Fam emission of F2T6W2D at 520 nm in a concentration-dependent manner. Also, the addition of Ag(I) cation decreased the intensity of Fam emission of F2C6W2D at 520 nm in a concentration-dependent manner. We conclude that, using the novel sensor developed in this study, the concentration of each of Hg(II) and Ag(I) cation can be determined from the intensity of Fam emission at 520 nm.

We examined the effect of 3'-amino-2'-O,4'-C-methylene bridged nucleic acid (3'-amino-2',4'-BNA) backbone modification of triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO) on the pyrimidine motif triplex formation at neutral pH, a condition where pyrimidine motif triplexes are unstable. The melting temperature of the pyrimidine motif triplex at pH 6.8 with 3'-amino-2',4'-BNA modified TFO was significantly higher than that observed with unmodified TFO. The 3'-amino-2',4'-BNA modification of TFO increased the thermal stability of the pyrimidine motif triplex at neutral pH. The present results certainly support the idea that the 3'-amino-2',4'-BNA modification of TFO could be a key chemical modification and may eventually lead to progress in therapeutic applications of the antigene strategy in vivo.

Mouse telomeric DNA sequence, Tel3.5: 5'-AGGG(T TAGGG)(3)-3', has the ability to form antiparallel tetraplex structure in the presence of Na(+). We examined the interaction between the antiparallel tetraplex structure of Tel3.5 and each of two single-stranded telomeric DNA-binding domains of mouse telomere binding protein Pot1, mPot1OB1 and mPot1OB2. The antiparallel tetraplex of Tel3.5 became unfolded upon the interaction with mPot1OB1. On the other hand, no significant structural change of the antiparallel tetraplex of Tel3.5 was observed upon the interaction with mPot1OB2. Considering that the antiparallel tetraplex inhibits telomerase-mediated telomere elongation, we conclude that the ability of mPot1OB1 to unfold the antiparallel tetraplex of the mouse telomeric DNA is required for telomerase-mediated telomere elongation.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Stm1 protein (273 amino acids) is a purine motif triplex DNA-binding protein. We have previously found that Stm(1-113) (amino acids 1-113) is the minimal domain to specifically bind with the purine motif triplex. Here, to reveal the triplex recognition mechanism of Stm(1-113), we have examined the interaction between Stm(1-113) and each of the purine motif triplexes with various lengths and base sequences. As the length of the target triplex was increased, the binding affinity of Stm(1-113) to the target triplex was increased. Stm(1-113) had the ability to bind to the purine motif triplexes with various base sequences. We conclude that Stm(1-113) may recognize the shape of the triplex rather than the base sequence of the triplex.

We have already found that mercury (II) cation specifically binds to T:T mismatch base pair in heteroduplex DNA, which increases the melting temperature of heteroduplex DNA involving T:T mismatch base pair by about 4 degrees C. We have also found that silver (I) cation specifically binds to C:C mismatch base pair in heteroduplex DNA, which increases the melting temperature of heteroduplex DNA involving C:C mismatch base pair by about 4 degrees C. In the present study, to examine whether the specific interaction between metal cation and mismatch base pair can be also formed in duplex RNA, we investigated the effect of the metal cation on the thermal stability of homoduplex and heteroduplex RNA. Addition of mercury (II) cation increased the melting temperature of heteroduplex RNA containing U:U mismatch base pair by about 6 degrees C. The thermal stability of homoduplex RNA containing U:A or A:U perfectly matched base pair and heteroduplex RNA containing A:A mismatch base pair was not significantly changed by the addition of mercury (II) cation. On the other hand, addition of silver (I) cation increased the melting temperature of heteroduplex RNA containing C:C mismatch base pair by about 4 degrees C. The thermal stability of homoduplex RNA containing C:G or G:C perfectly matched base pair and heteroduplex RNA containing G:G mismatch base pair was not significantly changed by the addition of silver (I) cation. We conclude that the specific interaction between metal cation and mismatch base pair can be formed in duplex RNA as in the case of duplex DNA.

We examined the effect of 2'-O,4'-C-aminomethylene bridged nucleic acid (2',4'-BNA(NC)) backbone modification of triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO) on the pyrimidine motif triplex formation at neutral pH, a condition where pyrimidine motif triplexes are unstable. The melting temperature of the pyrimidine motif triplex at pH 6.8 with 2',4'-BNA(NC) modified TFO was significantly higher than that observed with unmodified TFO. The 2',4'-BNA(NC) modification of TFO increased the thermal stability of the pyrimidine motif triplex at neutral pH. The present results certainly support the idea that the 2',4'-BNA(NC) backbone modification of TFO could be a key chemical modification and may eventually lead to progress in therapeutic applications of the antigene strategy in vivo.

To understand the telomere regulation mechanism in relation to cell aging and cancer, we examined the single-stranded telomeric DNA binding domain (ssDBD) of fission yeast telomere-binding protein Pot1 by constructing a series of deletion mutants. We found that Pot1(1-182) (amino acids 1-182) stably expressed in Escherichia coli without any degradation retained a stable folded structure and functional telomeric DNA binding activity, indicating that Pot1(1-182) corresponds to ssDBD. We investigated the amino acids of Pot1(1-182) involved in single-stranded telomeric DNA recognition by constructing a series of site-directed mutants. Although the previously reported X-ray crystallographic structure suggests that 12 amino acids contact the telomeric DNA, an electrophoretic mobility shift assay and isothermal titration calorimetry analyses of the binding ability of the site-directed mutants indicated that only five amino acids significantly contributed to telomeric DNA recognition. We conclude that the contribution to recognition is quite different in magnitude among the amino acids judged to contact the target by X-ray crystallographic structure.

We have already found that a single mercury (II) cation specifically binds to a single T:T mismatch base pair in heteroduplex, which increases the melting temperature of heteroduplex involving a single T:T mismatch base pair by about 4 degrees C. Here, to examine the thermodynamic properties involving two T:T mismatch base pairs, we analyzed the interaction between mercury (II) cations and heteroduplex involving two T:T mismatch base pairs by isothermal titration calorimetry. The difference in the positions of the two T:T mismatch base pairs did not significantly affect the magnitudes of the stoichiometry and the thermodynamic parameters for the interaction between mercury (II) cations and the two T:T mismatch base pairs. Two mercury (II) cations bind with two T:T mismatch base pairs. The binding affinity for the second mercury (II) cation was significantly larger than that for the first mercury (II) cation. Our results certainly support the idea that addition of the mercury (II) cation is a promising strategy for the T:T mismatch base pair detection in the heteroduplex analysis and may eventually lead to progress in SNP genotyping.

We analyzed the structural properties of mouse telomeric DNA sequence, Tel3.5: 5'-AGGG(TTAGG G)3-3', and nontelomeric DNA sequence, T22: 5'-T22-3', and examined the interaction with a single-stranded telomeric DNA-binding domain of mouse telomeric DNA-binding protein Pot1 (mPot1DBD). T22 did not form any higher-order structure, but Tel3.5 formed antiparallel tetraplex structure in the presence of Na(+). The antiparallel tetraplex of Tel3.5 became unfolded upon the interaction with mPot1DBD. Considering that the antiparallel tetraplex is known to inhibit telomerase-mediated telomere elongation, we conclude that the ability of Pot1 to unfold the antiparallel tetraplex of the telomeric DNA is required for regulation of telomerase-mediated telomere elongation.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Stm1 protein (273 amino acids) is a purine motif triplex DNA-binding protein. Here, to examine the location of the triplex DNA-binding domain of Stm1 protein, we analyzed the interaction between the purine motif triplex and a series of truncated Stm1 proteins by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Stm(1-113) (amino acids 1-113) was able to bind with the purine motif triplex. Smaller regions in Stm(1-113), Stm(1-54) (amino acids 1-54) and Stm(55-113) (amino acids 55-113), were unable to bind with the purine motif triplex. Although Stm(1-113) has the ability to bind with the purine motif triplex, it was unable to bind with the duplex. We conclude that Stm(1-113) is the minimal domain to specifically bind with the purine motif triplex.

We have already found that a single silver (I) cation specifically binds to a single C:C mismatch base pair in heteroduplex, which increases the melting temperature of heteroduplex involving a single C:C mismatch base pair by about 4 degrees C. Here, to examine the thermodynamic properties involving two C:C mismatch base pairs, we analyzed the interaction between silver (I) cations and heteroduplex involving two C:C mismatch base pairs by isothermal titration calorimetry. The difference in the positions of the two C:C mismatch base pairs did not significantly affect the magnitudes of the stoichiometry and the thermodynamic parameters for the interaction between silver (I) cations and the two C:C mismatch base pairs. Two silver (I) cations bind with two C:C mismatch base pairs. The binding affinity for the second silver (I) cation was similar to that for the first silver (I) cation. Our results certainly support the idea that addition of the silver (I) cation is a promising strategy for the C:C mismatch base pair detection in the heteroduplex analysis and may eventually lead to progress in SNP genotyping.

The chemical structure of the mercury-mediated T-T pair (T-Hg(I)I-T) was determined with (15)N NMR spectroscopy. In order to determine the chemical structure of the T-Hg(I)I-T pair, (15)N-(15)N J-coupling across a metal center (2JNN) was employed. Notably, this is the first observation of (2)J(NN) in a biological macromolecule (DNA duplex). This pairing mode was found to be a irregular metal ion-binding mode for DNA and RNA molecules, in which imino proton-metal exchange processes are included. Accordingly, (2)J(NN) is highly important for the determination of the chemical structures of metal-mediated base pairs.

To understand the regulation mechanism of fission yeast telomeric DNA, we analysed the structural properties of Gn: d(GnTTAC) (n=2-6) and 4Gn: d(GnTTAC)4 (n=3 and 4), and their interaction with the single-stranded telomeric DNA binding domain of telomere-binding protein Pot1 (Pot1DBD). G4, G5 and G6 formed a parallel tetraplex in contrast with no tetraplex formation by G2 and G3. Also, 4G4 adopted only an antiparallel tetraplex in spite of a mixture of parallel and antiparallel tetraplexes of 4G3. The variety of tetraplex structures was governed by the number of consecutive guanines in a single copy and the number of repeats. The antiparallel tetraplex of 4G4 became unfolded upon the interaction with Pot1DBD. The interaction with mutant Pot1DBD proteins revealed that the ability to unfold the antiparallel tetraplex was strongly correlated with the specific binding affinity for the single-stranded telomeric DNA. The result suggests that the decrease in the free single strand upon the complex formation with Pot1DBD may shift the equilibrium from the tetraplex to the single strand, which may cause the tetraplex unfolding. Considering that the antiparallel tetraplex inhibits telomerase-mediated telomere elongation, we conclude that the ability of Pot1 to unfold the antiparallel tetraplex is required for telomerase-mediated telomere regulation.

We examined the effect of 2'-O,4'-C-ethylene bridged nucleic acid (ENA) backbone modification of triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO) on the pyrimidine motif triplex formation at neutral pH, a condition where pyrimidine motif triplexes are unstable. The binding constant of the pyrimidine motif triplex formation at pH 6.8 with ENA-modified TFO was 20 times larger than that observed with unmodified TFO. The number and position of the ENA modification introduced into the TFO did not significantly affect the magnitude of the increase in the binding constant. The consideration of the observed thermodynamic parameters suggested that the increased rigidity itself of the ENA-modified TFO in the free state relative to the unmodified TFO may enable the significant increase in the binding constant at neutral pH. The present results certainly support the idea that the ENA backbone modification of TFO could be a key chemical modification and may eventually lead to progress in therapeutic applications of the antigene strategy in vivo.

We have already found that silver (I) cation specifically binds to C:C mismatch base pair in heteroduplex, which increases the melting temperature of heteroduplex involving C:C mismatch base pair by about 4 degrees C. This result shows that addition of the metal cation is a promising strategy for the mismatch base pair detection in heteroduplex, but UV melting to determine the melting temperature is time-consuming. In the present study, to develop a more convenient way for the mismatch base pair detection, we examined the fluorescence spectral change of fluorescent-labelled duplex upon addition of the metal cation. Addition of silver (I) cation to the heteroduplex involving the C:C mismatch base pair significantly changed the fluorescence intensity, but no significant change in the fluorescence intensity was observed for the duplexes involving other base pairs. Our results certainly support the idea that the fluorescence spectral change upon the addition of the metal cation could be a convenient strategy for the mismatch base pair detection by the heteroduplex analysis, and may eventually lead to progress in SNP genotyping.

We have already found that a single silver (I) cation specifically binds to a single C:C mismatch base pair in heteroduplex, which increases the melting temperature (T(m)) of heteroduplex involving a single C:C mismatch base pair by about 4 degrees C. Here, to examine the properties of the interaction between two C:C mismatch base pairs and silver (I) cations, we analyzed the effect of silver (I) cations on the thermal stability of heteroduplexes involving two C:C mismatch base pairs. The positions of the two C:C mismatch base pairs in heteroduplex did not significantly affect the magnitude of the increase in T(m) upon addition of silver (I) cation, suggesting that the binding affinity of the first silver (I) cation with one of the two C:C mismatch base pairs and that of the second silver (I) cation with the other of the two mismatch base pairs may be independent of the positions of the two mismatch base pairs. The larger magnitude of the increase in T(m) for the second silver (I) cation binding than that observed for the first silver (I) cation binding suggests that the binding affinity for the second silver (I) cation may be significantly higher than that for the first silver (I) cation. Our results certainly support the idea that addition of the metal cation is a promising strategy for the mismatch base pair detection in the heteroduplex analysis and may eventually lead to progress in SNP genotyping.

We have already found that mercury (II) cation specifically binds to T:T mismatch base pair in heteroduplex, which increases the melting temperature of heteroduplex involving T:T mismatch base pair by about 4 degrees C. This result shows that addition of the metal cation is a promising strategy for the mismatch base pair detection in heteroduplex, but UV melting to determine the melting temperature is time-consuming. In the present study, to develop a more convenient way for the mismatch base pair detection, we examined the fluorescence spectral change of fluorescent-labelled duplex upon addition of the metal cation. Addition of mercury (II) cation to the heteroduplex involving the T:T mismatch base pair significantly changed the fluorescence intensity, but no significant change in the fluorescence intensity was observed for the duplexes involving other base pairs. Our results certainly support the idea that the fluorescence spectral change upon the addition of the metal cation could be a convenient strategy for the mismatch base pair detection by the heteroduplex analysis, and may eventually lead to progress in SNP genotyping.

Ab initio calculations were carried out to characterize the structure and energetic of silver cation (Ag (I)) complex with cytosine (C:Ag:C) and mercury cation (Hg (II)) complex with thymine (T:Hg:T) systems. These metal-modified mismatch base pairs have been optimized using Hatree-Fock method without any symmetry constrains. Using above methods, the models of Ag (I) in a crosslink between O2 carbonyl oxygen of cytosine, O2(C):Ag:O2(C), and Hg (II) in a crosslink between N3 nitrogen atom of thymine, N3(T):Hg:N3(T) were obtained. Furthermore, the interaction energies of C:Ag:C and T:Hg:T models were estimated. The result showed that the coordination silver (I) cation with cytosine is more stable than hydrate state.

Triplex formation-based artificial transcription factor to recognize any upstream sequence of desired genes was developed to regulate expression of any target genes. The reporter beta-galactosidase activity in yeast was increased 1.5-2 times by the introduction of the artificial transcription factor. The novel factor may be a useful tool to regulate expression of any target genes and reveal unknown function of the target genes.

We compared the structure of fission yeast telomeric DNA, 4G4: d(GGGGTTAC)4, and nontelomeric DNA, 4T4: d(TTTTTTAC)4, and examined their interaction with telomeric DNA binding domain of telomeric DNA binding protein Pot1 (Pot1DBD). 4T4 did not form any higher-order structure, but 4G4 formed intramolecular folded tetraplex structure in the presence of Na+. Although Pot1DBD did not induce any significant structural change of 4T4, the intramolecular folded tetraplex structure of 4G4 was unfolded by the interaction with Pot1DBD. Pot1 may facilitate telomere elongation of telomerase by disrupting the tetraplex structure of the telomeric DNA.

We examined the effect of silver (I) cation on the thermal stability of heteroduplex and homoduplex. Addition of silver (I) cation increased the melting temperature of heteroduplex containing C:C mismatch base pair by about 4 degrees C. The thermal stability of homoduplex and heteroduplexes containing other kinds of mismatch base pairs was not significantly changed by the addition of silver (I) cation. Isothermal titration calorimetric study demonstrated that silver (I) cation directly bound to C:C mismatch base pair in heteroduplex at a molar ratio of 1:1. The binding constant and the enthalpy change for the binding of silver (I) cation to C:C mismatch base pair was approximately 10(6) M(-1) and -3 kcal mol(-1), respectively. We conclude that silver (I) cation directly binds to C:C mismatch base pair in heteroduplex with high affinity and specificity. Our results certainly support the idea that the addition of silver (I) cation to C:C mismatch base pair in heteroduplex could be a convenient strategy for heteroduplex analysis and may eventually lead to progress in single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping.

We examined the effect of silver (I) cation on the thermal stability of heteroduplex and homoduplex. Addition of silver (I) cation increased the melting temperature of heteroduplex containing C:C mismatch base pair by about 3-4 degrees C. The thermal stability of homoduplex and heteroduplexes containing other kinds of mismatch base pairs was not significantly changed by the addition of silver (I) cation. We conclude that silver (I) cation specifically stabilizes heteroduplex containing C:C mismatch base pair. Our results certainly support the idea that the addition of silver (I) cation to C:C mismatch base pair in heteroduplex could be a convenient strategy for heteroduplex analysis and may eventually lead to progress in single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping.

We examined the effect of the combination of the two triplex-stabilizing factors, poly(L-lysine)-graft-dextran (PLL-g-Dex) copolymer and 2'-O,4'-C-methylene bridged nucleic acid (2',4'-BNA) backbone modification of triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO), on the pyrimidine motif triplex formation at neutral pH, a condition where pyrimidine motif triplexes are unstable. The combination of both stabilizing factors that was the triplex involving the 2',4'-BNA TFO in the presence of the copolymer synergistically increased the thermal stability of the pyrimidine motif triplex at neutral pH. The present results certainly support the idea that the combination of the stabilizing factors can be a key method for triplex stabilization and may lead to progress in therapeutic applications of the antigene strategy in vivo.

We examined the effect of mercury (II) cation on the thermal stability of heteroduplex and homoduplex. Addition of mercury (II) cation increased the melting temperature of heteroduplex containing T:T mismatch base pair by about 4 degrees C. The thermal stability of homoduplex and heteroduplexes containing other kinds of mismatch base pairs was not significantly changed by the addition of mercury (II) cation. Isothermal titration calorimetric study demonstrated that mercury (II) cation directly bound to T:T mismatch base pair in hcteroduplex at a molar ratio of 1:1. The binding constant and the enthalpy change for the binding of mercury (II) cation to T:T mismatch base pair was approximately 10(6) M(-1) and -6 kcal mol(-1), respectively. We conclude that mercury (II) cation directly binds to T:T mismatch base pair in heteroduplex with high affinity and specificity. Our results certainly support the idea that the addition of mercury (II) cation to T:T mismatch base pair in heteroduplex could be a convenient strategy for heteroduplex analysis and may eventually lead to progress in single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping.

The combination of two stabilizing strategies to increase stability of nucleic acid assembly is not always resulted in synergistic effect. In the present study, to explore the rational way to select the combination for synergistically stabilizing strategies, we examined the kinetic effects of different triplex-stabilizing strategies, poly(L-lysine)-graft-dextran (PLL-g-Dex) copolymer and N3'-->P5' phosphoramidate (PN) backbone modification of triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO). The former increased the association rate constant, whereas the latter decreased the dissociation rate constant in triplex equilibrium. Each strategy increased the binding constant of the triplex formation by nearly two orders of magnitude. The combination of both stabilizing strategies, which was the triplex formation with PN TFO in the presence of the copolymer, increased the binding constant by nearly four orders of magnitude, implying successful synergy of their activities. The kinetically orchestrated effects in which the copolymer and the PN modification contribute to distinct ingredients in triplex equilibrium achieved the observed synergistic stabilization. We conclude that kinetic analyses of stabilizing effects enable us to select a rational combination of stabilizing strategies.

We analyzed the thermodynamics of purine motif triplex formations involving single mismatches of four different base triplets (A x A:T, T x A:T, A x T:A and T x T:A) by isothermal titration calorimetry. The T x A:T and A x A:T base triplets are the most stable and the A x T:A base triplet is the least stable among the four base triplets. The magnitude of the Gibbs free energy change varies within 1.0 kcal mol(-1) for the single mismatches of the base triplet. On the other hand, the magnitude of the enthalpy change exhibits very large sequence dependence with up to 14 kcal mol(-1) variation per the single mismatches among the four base triplets, which is 14 times larger than the sequence-dependent variation of the magnitude of the Gibbs free energy change. Thus, the single mismatches in the purine motif triplex do not have strong effects on the magnitude of the Gibbs free energy change, but the magnitude of the enthalpy change exhibits much larger sequence-dependent variations. The present results support the previously proposed nucleation-elongation mechanism of the triplex formation and offer some hints to design novel triplex-forming oligonucleotides with enhanced sequence specificity.

We examined the effect of morpholino (MOR) backbone modification of triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO) on the pyrimidine motif triplex formation at neutral pH, a condition where pyrimidine motif triplexes are unstable. The binding constant of the pyrimidine motif triplex formation at pH 6.8 with MOR-modified TFO was approximately 60 times larger than that observed with unmodified TFO. Kinetic data demonstrated that the observed increase in the binding constant at neutral pH by the MOR backbone modification resulted mainly from the considerable increase in the association rate constant. The present results certainly support the idea that the MOR backbone modification of TFO could be a key modification and may eventually lead to progress in therapeutic applications of the antigene strategy in vivo.

The constant melting temperature upon the change in the oligonucleotide concentration showed that the oligonucleotide d(CGCTTTGCG) formed a intramolecular hairpin rather than a duplex with an internal loop. We examined the thermodynamic properties of the interaction between the threading intercalator, naphthalene diimides designated as NDI, and a series of hairpin oligonucleotides, d(CGCTnGCG) (n = 3, 4, 5, and 6) designated as CGCn. A complex with a molar ratio of 1:1 was formed between NDI and CGCn. Because the observed negative entropy change was unfavorable for the binding of NDI to CGCn, the binding was driven by the large negative enthalpy change. All of the thermodynamic parameters for the threading intercalation were not significantly changed by the difference in the loop length n. The stem region rather than the loop region of CGCn is mainly involved in the binding of NDI.

We examined the thermodynamic properties of 2',4'-bridged nucleic acid containing 1-isoquinolone as a nucleobase (QB) to recognize a C interruption in the homopurine strand of the target duplex for pyrimidine motif triplex formation at neutral pH. The triplex formation involving triplex-forming oligonucleotide with QB is highly sequence-selective to specifically recognize C:G target base pair rather than the other G:C, T:A, or A:T base pairs. QB.C:G triad gives significantly larger binding constant than T.C:G triad, which has been known to be the most stable combination in natural base.C:G triad. Our results certainly support the idea that QB could be a key nucleoside to recognize a C interruption in the homopurine strand of the target duplex with high binding affinity and selectivity, and reduce the restriction of target sequences for triplex formation.

I examined the effect of N3'-->P5' phosphoramidate (PN) backbone modification of triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO) on the pyrimidine motif triplex formation at neutral pH, a condition where pyrimidine motif triplexes are unstable. Both thermodynamic and kinetic analyses have indicated that the PN modification of TFO increased the binding constant of the pyrimidine motif triplex formation at pH 6.8 by nearly 2 orders of magnitude. Kinetic data have also demonstrated that the observed increase in the binding constant at neutral pH by the PN modification resulted mainly from the considerable decrease in the dissociation rate constant rather than the increase in the association rate constant. The present results certainly support the idea that the PN modification of TFO could be a key modification and may eventually lead to progress in therapeutic applications of the antigene strategy in vivo.

We examined the thermodynamic properties of 2',4'-bridged nucleic acid containing 2-pyridone as a nucleobase (PB) to recognize a C interruption in the homopurine strand of the target duplex for pyrimidine motif triplex formation at neutral pH. The triplex formation involving triplex-forming oligonucleotide with PB is highly sequence-selective to specifically recognize C:G target base pair rather than the other G:C, T:A, or A:T base pairs. PB.C:G triad gives significantly larger binding constant than T.C:G triad, which has been known to be the most stable combination in natural base.C:G triad. Our results certainly support the idea that PB could be a key nucleoside to recognize a C interruption in the homopurine strand of the target duplex with high binding affinity and selectivity, and reduce the restriction of target sequences for triplex formation.

In the present study, we describe rapid formation of stable pyrimidine motif triplex at physiological pH. The triplex formation was achieved by the synergistic effect of poly(L-lysine)-graft-dextran (PLL-g-Dex) copolymer and N3'-->P5' phosphoramidate (PN) backbone modification of triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO). Either the PLL-g-Dex copolymer or the PN modification alone increased the binding constant by nearly two orders of magnitude for the triplex formation at neutral pH. The combination of both stabilizing factors that was the triplex formation with the PN TFO in the presence of the copolymer increased the binding constant by nearly four orders of magnitude. The kinetic study indicated that the copolymer increased the association rate constant, whereas the PN modification decreased the dissociation rate constant. No negative interference between these stabilizing effects was observed. The kinetically orchestrated effects in which the copolymer and the PN TFO contribute to distinct ingredients in triplex equilibrium achieved the rapid formation of the stable triplex.

We analyzed the effect of a fixed N-form sugar puckering of TFO (triplex-forming oligonucleotide) on the pyrimidine motif triplex formation at neutral pH, a condition where pyrimidine motif triplexes are unstable. Both thermodynamic and kinetic analyses revealed that the binding constant of the pyrimidine motif triplex formation at pH 6.8 with modified TFO containing the fixed N-form sugar puckering was about 20-times larger than that observed with unmodified TFO. Kinetic data also demonstrated that the observed increase in the binding constant at neutral pH by the fixed N-form sugar puckering resulted from the considerable decrease in the dissociation rate constant. Our results certainly support the idea that the fixed N-form sugar puckering of TFO could be a key modification and may eventually lead to progress in therapeutic applications of the antigene strategy in vivo.

We analyzed the thermodynamics of purine motif triplex formation by isothermal titration calorimetry. The signs of calorimetric enthalpy change, delta Hcal, and entropy change, delta S, of the triplex formation were negative in the temperature range between 15 and 35 degrees C. Since an observed negative delta S was unfavorable for the triplex formation, the triplex formation was driven by a large negative delta Hcal. delta Hcal decreased with increasing temperature, yielding a negative heat capacity change, delta Cp, of approximately -1.2 kcal mol-1 K-1. We found that the binding constant, Ka, increased with increasing temperature, leading to an apparent positive van't Hoff enthalpy change, delta Hvh, which was in sharp contrast with the large negative delta Hcal. The analyses of the observed temperature dependence of Ka and delta Hcal and the negative delta Cp suggest that the purine motif triplex formation near room temperature is not a simple two-state binding process but exhibits multiple states, which was previously observed for the pyrimidine motif triplex formation near room temperature.

We have developed diamino-bistetrahydrofuran compounds (diamino-bisTHF) as new DNA binding molecules. Diamino-bisTHF (3:RR8) stabilized GC-rich duplex DNA with sequence specificity. DNA binding affinity increased as the alkyl chain was lengthened, indicating that the hydrophobic interaction is essential for DNA binding. It was also found that DNA binding affinity of the ligands depends on the stereochemistry of the amino group. In thermodynamic evaluation, diamino-bisTHF (3:RR8) showed a high affinity to the 12 bp duplex at a molar ratio of 1:1.

We have previously reported that in the presence of poly (L-lysine)-graft-Dextran (PLL-g-Dex) copolymer, the binding constant of the pyrimidine-motif triplex formation at neutral pH is about 100-times higher than that observed without any triplex stabilizer. Here, to explore the mechanism of the promotion effect of the PLL-g-Dex copolymer at neutral pH, the sequence specificity and the ionic strength dependence of the pyrimidine-motif triplex formation was examined in the absence or presence of the copolymer. The sequence specificity of the pyrimidine-motif triplex formation at neutral pH in the presence of copolymer was almost similar to that at acidic pH without the copolymer. As the concentration of magnesium cation increased, the binding constant of the pyrimidine-motif triplex formation without the copolymer increased. On the other hand, the binding constant of the pyrimidine-motif triplex formation in the presence of the copolymer decreased upon the increase in the concentration of magnesium cation. Considering these results in light of counterion condensation (CC) theory, we conclude that the copolymer does not hinder the sequence specificity of the triplex formation, and isolates the triplex formation from the CC effect, which may lead to a net increase in entropy change upon the triplex formation, providing a favorable component to binding constant of the triplex formation.

To investigate the effect of chemical modification of the third strand on the stability of triplex DNA, we have examined the thermodynamic properties of the triplex formation between a 23-mer double-stranded homopurine-homopyrimidine and each of five kinds of 15-mer chemically modified single-stranded homopyrimidines by isothermal titration calorimetry, and the kinetic properties by interaction analysis system. The modifications of the third strand included two base modifications, two sugar moiety modifications, and one phosphate backbone modification. The thermodynamic and kinetic parameters for the triplex formation were similar in magnitude among the two base-modified and two sugar-modified single strands. By contrast, the binding constant for the triplex formation with the single strand with phosphorothioate backbone was more than ten times as small as that for the other triplex formation. On the basis of the kinetic analyses, the single strand with phosphorothioate backbone was more difficult to associate with and easier to dissociate from the target double strand than the other single strands, which resulted in the much smaller binding constant.

The thermodynamic properties of DNA triplex formation with various single-stranded oligo-DNAs as well as mismatched sequences were investigated by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). For the triplex formation of perfectly matched sequences, enthalpy changes and dissociation constants were measured and their temperature-dependences suggest that conformational change of pyrimidine single-strand and the intermediate state(s) are involved in the triplex formation. Effects of mismatches and chemical modifications on stability and specificity of the triplex formation will also be discussed.

The ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, termed telomeres, contain a single-stranded 3' overhang composed of tandemly repeated guanine-rich sequences, such as (T2G4)n and (T4G4)n, along one strand. The sequences can form defined folded tetraplex structures. Here we have systematically examined structural polymorphism and thermal stability of a series of oligonucleotide sequences, Tet n: (T2G4)n and Oxy n: (T4G4)n (n = 1, 2, 3, 4), using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The CD spectra of Tet 1 and Oxy 1 are consistent with those observed in tetraplex structures consisting of four parallel strands (type I conformation); whereas the spectra of Tet 2, Oxy 2, Oxy 3, and Oxy 4 correspond with those observed for tetraplex conformations where the strands are antiparallel (type II conformation). The spectra of Tet 3 and Tet 4 suggests that Tet 3 and Tet 4 can adopt both type I and type II conformations and they are structurally polymorphic. The melting temperatures of Tet n and Oxy n (n = 1, 2, 3, 4) measured by CD melting are consistent with the previously reported values obtained from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Furthermore, the CD melting of Tet 4 suggests that the type II conformation of Tet 4 changes into type I conformation between 55 degrees C and 70 degrees C.

The filter binding method was found to be a very useful method for triple-helical formation of oligo DNA duplexes with homoprymidine single-strands. Using this method, we have obtained dissociation constants of triplexes and association rates of triple-helical formation of a variety of combinations of double-strands (23-mer) and pyrimidine single-strands as functions of pH and temperature. pH dependences of dissociation constants and association rates are theoretically discussed in terms of acid-base equilibrium of pyrimidine strands. Temperature-dependence of dissociation constants and association rates were considerably different between acidic and neutral pH range, suggesting that mechanism of triple-helical formation differs between two pH ranges. The results were best interpreted in terms of a three-state model for the triple-helical formation. Furthermore, the effect of mismatched sequences on the stability of the triplexes were also discussed.

The ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, termed telomeres, contain stretches of tandemly repeated guanine-rich sequences, such as (T2G4)n and (T4G4)n, along one strand. These sequences can form defined folded tetraplex structures in solution. Here we have systematically investigated the thermodynamic properties of a series of sequences, Tet n: (T2G4)n and Oxy n: (T4G4)n (n = 1, 2, 3, 4), in 10mM NaPi, 250mM NaCl, pH7.0, using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The melting process of all tetraplex DNAs is reversible. Tet n and Oxy n are similar in the dependence of melting temperature, Tm, and transition calorimetric enthalpy per strand, delta Hcal, on the number of the tandem sequence. The total delta Hcal value of Tet n is similar in magnitude to that of Oxy n, whereas the Tm value of the main fraction of Tet n is greater than that of Oxy n. These results suggest that Tet n and Oxy n form similar tetraplex DNA configuration, and the difference in Tm values between Tet n and Oxy n is attributed to the length of the T strings.