Nuclease activity of 1,10-phenanthroline-copper ion: reaction with CGCGAATTCGCG and its complexes with netropsin and EcoRI.

The self-complementing dodecamer 5'-CGCGAATTCGCG-3' and its complexes with the antibiotic netropsin and the restriction endonuclease EcoRI provide substrates of known three-dimensional structure to study the stereochemistry and mechanism of the artificial nuclease of 1,10-phenanthroline-copper ion [(OP)2Cu+]. Analysis of the reaction products with the 5'-32P dodecamer on 20% sequencing gels has demonstrated the presence of 3'-phosphoglycolate ends in addition to 3'-phosphomonoester ends expected from previous studies. A reaction intermediate, which is a precursor to 3'-phosphomonoester termini, has been trapped; in contrast, no comparable species for the 5'-phosphomonoester termini can be detected when 3'-labeled DNAs are utilized as substrates. The reactive oxidative species formed by the coreactants (OP)2Cu+ and hydrogen peroxide is distinguishable in its chemistry from the hydroxyl radicals produced by cobalt-60 gamma-irradiation. The freely diffusible hydroxyl radicals generated by cobalt-60 irradiation produce equivalent amounts of 3'-phosphomonoester and 3'-phosphoglycolate termini whereas the 3'-phosphomonoesters are the preferred product of (OP)2Cu+ and H2O2. On the basis of the structures of the products obtained, the principal site of attack of the coordination complex is on the C-1 of the deoxyribose within the minor groove. This conclusion is supported by the footprinting of netropsin binding to the dodecamer. Crystallographic results have demonstrated that netropsin binds to the minor groove at the central AATT residue. A clear protection of attack by the coordination complex at the deoxyriboses associated with A-5, T-6, T-7, and C-9 is fully consistent with attack from the minor groove without intercalation during the course of the cleavage reaction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)