DNA-dependent DNA and RNA polymerases are important modulators of biological functions such as replication, transcription, recombination, or repair. In this work performed in cell-free media, we studied the ability of selected DNA polymerases to overcome a monofunctional adduct of the cytotoxic/antitumor platinum-acridinylthiourea conjugate [PtCl(en)(L)](NO3)2 (en = ethane-1,2-diamine, L = 1-[2-(acridin-9-ylamino)ethyl]-1,3-dimethylthiourea) (ACR) in its favored 5'-CG sequence. We focused on how a single site-specific ACR adduct with intercalation potency affects the processivity and fidelity of DNA-dependent DNA polymerases involved in translesion synthesis (TLS) and repair. The ability of the G(N7) hybrid ACR adduct formed in the 5'-TCGT sequence of a 24-mer DNA template to inhibit the synthesis of a complementary DNA strand by the exonuclease-deficient Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I (KFexo-) and human polymerases eta, kappa, and iota was supplemented by thermodynamic analysis of the polymerization process. Thermodynamic parameters of a simulated translesion synthesis across the ACR adduct were obtained by using microscale thermophoresis (MST). Our results show a strong inhibitory effect of an ACR adduct on enzymatic TLS: there was only small synthesis of a full-length product (less than 10%) except polymerase eta (~20%). Polymerase eta was able to most efficiently bypass the ACR hybrid adduct. Incorporation of a correct dCMP opposite the modified G residue is preferred by all the four polymerases tested. On the other hand, the frequency of misinsertions increased. The relative efficiency of misinsertions is higher than that of matched cytidine monophosphate but still lower than for the nonmodified control duplex. Thermodynamic inspection of the simulated TLS revealed a significant stabilization of successively extended primer/template duplexes containing an ACR adduct. Moreover, no significant decrease of dissociation enthalpy change behind the position of the modification can contribute to the enzymatic TLS observed with the DNA-dependent, repair-involved polymerases. This TLS could lead to a higher tolerance of cancer cells to the ACR conjugate compared to its enhanced analog, where thiourea is replaced by an amidine group: [PtCl(en)(L)](NO3)2 (complex AMD, en = ethane-1,2-diamine, L = N-[2-(acridin-9-ylamino)ethyl]-N-methylpropionamidine).

• Keywords
• DNA polymerases, antitumor, cytotoxic, drug resistance, lesion bypass, metal–intercalator, microscale thermophoresis, platinum–acridine, thermodynamic, translesion synthesis,
• MeSH
• DNA Adducts chemistry   MeSH
• DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase metabolism   MeSH
• Intercalating Agents chemistry   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Urea analogs & derivatives   chemistry   MeSH
• DNA Repair * MeSH
• Organoplatinum Compounds chemistry   MeSH
• DNA Damage * MeSH
• DNA Replication MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• 1-(2-(acridin-9-ylamino)ethyl)-1,3-dimethylthiourea MeSH Browser
• DNA Adducts MeSH
• DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase MeSH
• Intercalating Agents MeSH
• Urea MeSH
• Organoplatinum Compounds MeSH

The kinetics of the hydration reaction on trans-[Pt(NH3)2(pyrX)Cl]+ (pyr = pyridine) complexes (X = OH-, Cl-, F-, Br-, NO2 -, NH2, SH-, CH3, C≡CH, and DMA) was studied by density functional theory calculations in the gas phase and in water solution described by the implicit polarizable continuum model method. All possible positions ortho, meta, and para of the substituent X in the pyridine ring were considered. The substitution of the pyr ligand by electron-donating X's led to the strengthening of the Pt-N1(pyrX) (Pt-NpyrX) bond and the weakening of the trans Pt-Cl or Pt-Ow bonds. The electron-withdrawing X's have exactly the opposite effect. The strengths of these bonds can be predicted from the basicity of sigma electrons on the NpyrX atom determined on the isolated pyrX ligand. As the pyrX ring was oriented perpendicularly with respect to the plane of the complex, the nature of the X···Cl electrostatic interaction was the decisive factor for the transition-state (TS) stabilization which resulted in the highest selectivity of ortho-substituted systems with respect to the reaction rate. Because of a smaller size of X's, the steric effects influenced less importantly the values of activation Gibbs energies ΔG ⧧ but caused geometry changes such as the elongation of the Pt-NpyrX bonds. Substitution in the meta position led to the highest ΔG ⧧ values for most of the X's. The changes of ΔG ⧧ because of electronic effects were the same in the gas phase and the water solvent. However, as the water solvent dampened electrostatic interactions, 2200 and 150 times differences in the reaction rate were observed between the most and the least reactive mono-substituted complexes in the gas phase and the water solvent, respectively. An additional NO2 substitution of the pyrNO2 ligand further decelerated the rate of the hydration reaction, but on the other hand, the poly-NH2 complexes were no more reactive than the fastest o-NH2 system. In the gas phase, the poly-X complexes showed the additivity of the substituent effects with respect to the Pt-ligand bond strengths and the ligand charges.

• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

The effects of major DNA intrastrand cross-links of antitumor dinuclear Pt(II) complexes [{trans-PtCl(NH(3))(2)}(2)-μ-{trans-(H(2)N(CH(2))(6)NH(2)(CH(2))(2)NH(2)(CH(2))(6)NH(2))}](4+) (1) and [{PtCl(DACH)}(2)-μ-{H(2)N(CH(2))(6)NH(2)(CH(2))(2)NH(2)(CH(2))(6)NH(2))}](4+) (2) (DACH is 1,2-diaminocyclohexane) on DNA stability were studied with emphasis on thermodynamic origins of that stability. Oligodeoxyribonucleotide duplexes containing the single 1,2, 1,3, or 1,5 intrastrand cross-links at guanine residues in the central TGGT, TGTGT, or TGTTTGT sequences, respectively, were prepared and analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry. The unfolding of the platinated duplexes was accompanied by unfavorable free energy terms. The efficiency of the cross-links to thermodynamically destabilize the duplex depended on the number of base pairs separating the platinated bases. The trend was 1,5→1,2→1,3 cross-link of 1 and 1,5→1,3→1,2 cross-link of 2. Interestingly, the results showed that the capability of the cross-links to reduce the thermodynamic stability of DNA (ΔG(298)(0)) correlated with the extent of conformational distortions induced in DNA by various types of intrastrand cross-links of 1 or 2 determined by chemical probes of DNA conformation. We also examined the efficiency of the mammalian nucleotide excision repair systems to remove from DNA the intrastrand cross-links of 1 or 2. The efficiency of the excinucleases to remove the cross-links from DNA depended on the length of the cross-link; the trend was identical to that observed for the efficiency of the intrastrand cross-links to thermodynamically destabilize the duplex. Thus, the results are consistent with the thesis that an important factor that determines the susceptibility of the intrastrand cross-links of dinuclear platinum complexes 1 and 2 to be removed from DNA by nucleotide excision repair is the efficiency of these lesions to thermodynamically destabilize DNA.

• MeSH
• Calorimetry, Differential Scanning MeSH
• DNA chemistry   MeSH
• Intercalating Agents chemistry   pharmacology   MeSH
• Nucleic Acid Conformation drug effects   MeSH
• DNA Repair drug effects   MeSH
• Organoplatinum Compounds chemistry   pharmacology   MeSH
• Antineoplastic Agents chemistry   pharmacology   MeSH
• Base Sequence MeSH
• Thermodynamics MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• DNA MeSH
• Intercalating Agents MeSH
• Organoplatinum Compounds MeSH
• Antineoplastic Agents MeSH

A combination of biophysical, biochemical, and computational techniques was used to delineate mechanistic differences between the platinum-acridine hybrid agent [PtCl(en)(L)](NO(3))(2) (complex 1, en = ethane-1,2-diamine, L = 1-[2-(acridin-9-ylamino)ethyl]-1,3-dimethylthiourea) and a considerably more potent second-generation analogue containing L' = N-[2-(acridin-9-ylamino)ethyl]-N-methylpropionamidine (complex 2). Calculations at the density functional theory level provide a rationale for the binding preference of both complexes for guanine-N7 and the relatively high level of adenine adducts observed for compound 1. A significant rate enhancement is observed for binding of the amidine-based complex 2 with DNA compared with the thiourea-based prototype 1. Studies conducted with chemical probes and on the bending and unwinding of model duplex DNA suggest that adducts of complex 2 perturb B-form DNA more severely than complex 1, however, without denaturing the double strand and significantly less than cisplatin. Circular and linear dichroism spectroscopies and viscosity measurements suggest that subtle differences exist between the intercalation modes and adduct geometries of the two complexes. The adducts formed by complex 2 most efficiently inhibit transcription of the damaged DNA by RNA polymerase II. Not only do complexes 1 and 2 cause less distortion to DNA than cisplatin, they also do not compromise the thermodynamic stability of the modified duplex. This leads to a decreased or negligible affinity of HMG domain proteins for the adducts formed by either Pt-acridine complex. In a DNA repair synthesis assay the lesions formed by complex 2 were repaired less efficiently than those formed by complex 1. These significant differences in DNA adduct formation, structure, and recognition between the two acridine complexes and cisplatin help to elucidate why compound 2 is highly active in cisplatin-resistant, repair proficient cancer cell lines.

• MeSH
• DNA Adducts chemistry   MeSH
• Acridines chemistry   metabolism   pharmacology   MeSH
• Amidines chemistry   metabolism   pharmacology   MeSH
• DNA, B-Form chemistry   metabolism   MeSH
• Cisplatin analogs & derivatives   chemistry   metabolism   pharmacology   MeSH
• DNA chemistry   metabolism   MeSH
• Transcription, Genetic drug effects   MeSH
• HeLa Cells MeSH
• Intercalating Agents chemistry   metabolism   pharmacology   MeSH
• Kinetics MeSH
• Nucleic Acid Conformation drug effects   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• DNA Repair drug effects   MeSH
• Organoplatinum Compounds chemistry   metabolism   pharmacology   MeSH
• Protein Isoforms metabolism   MeSH
• HMGB1 Protein metabolism   MeSH
• Antineoplastic Agents chemistry   metabolism   pharmacology   MeSH
• Drug Design MeSH
• Thiourea chemistry   metabolism   pharmacology   MeSH
• Structure-Activity Relationship MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
• Comparative Study MeSH
• Names of Substances
• DNA Adducts MeSH
• Acridines MeSH
• Amidines MeSH
• DNA, B-Form MeSH
• Cisplatin MeSH
• DNA MeSH
• Intercalating Agents MeSH
• Organoplatinum Compounds MeSH
• Protein Isoforms MeSH
• HMGB1 Protein MeSH
• Antineoplastic Agents MeSH
• Thiourea MeSH