DNA intercalation and cleavage of an antitumor antibiotic dynemicin that contains anthracycline and enediyne cores.

Dynemicin is a hybrid containing anthraquinone and enediyne cores, which contribute to binding and cleavage of DNA, respectively. DNA strand scission by the antitumor antibiotic is significantly enhanced by the addition of NADPH or thiol compounds. The preferential cutting site of dynemicin is on the 3' side of purine bases (i.e., 5'-GC, -GT, and -AG) and is clearly different from the cutting sites of esperamicin and calicheamicin. The double-stranded and the stem regions of single-stranded DNAs are preferentially cleaved by dynemicin. Therefore, dynemicin may be a useful reagent for probing secondary structures of DNA. Pretreatment of DNA with Adriamycin and actinomycin D alters the cutting mode of dynemicin. Dynemicin-mediated DNA breakage is strongly inhibited by pretreatment of the DNA with distamycin A and anthramycin, suggesting that dynemicin interacts with the minor groove of the DNA helix. Intercalation of the anthraquinone core into the DNA followed by the attack of the phenyl diradical formed from the enediyne core is considered as a possible mechanism of action of dynemicin.