Study of DNA G-quadruplex structures by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)

Overview & Synopsis

G-quadruplexes (G4) are non-canonical nucleic acid structures formed by G-rich sequences mainly localized in telomeres and promoter regions of oncogenes. They are built from the stacking of several G-quartets in the presence of cations. Using NMR spectroscopy, we have characterized the interaction between the TAP ligand and the human telomeric G4 formed by the sequence d(AG3(T2AG3)3). CD and 1D 1H NMR spectroscopy were used to follow the interaction between the two partners. 2D NMR was used to assign unambiguously all 1H resonances in the complex and to explore the binding site. A model depicting the interaction of TAP with 22AG in grooves and loops was generated. Another part of this work consists in the study of tetramolecular G4 formed by TG4T and its interaction with G4 ligands by in-cell NMR. 1H-15N HMQC spectra were performed inside Xenopus laevis and HeLa cell lysates compared to those observed in vitro conditions showing a good stability of G4 inside the cell. Furthermore, the interaction of d[TG4T]4 with three G4 specific ligands presenting different mode of interaction was also investigated. The ligand 360A showed a promising behavior. Finally, in the last part, different sequences of Kras promoter were screened by NMR to select good candidates for high resolution structure determination. Two different sequences were selected and characterized by CD spectroscopy. The stabilization of G4 structures formed by these sequences in interaction with different ligands was also investigated. A 1D 1H NMR titration between Braco19 and 22RT showed an interesting behavior of k-ras G4 by the formation of intermediate species upon the addition of Braco19.