DNA recognition by quinoxaline antibiotics: use of base-modified DNA molecules to investigate determinants of sequence-specific binding of triostin A and TANDEM.

The methodology of DNAase I footprinting has been adapted to investigate the sequence-specific binding of two quinoxaline drugs to DNA fragments containing natural and modified bases. In order to help comprehend the molecular origin of selectivity in the bis-intercalation of triostin A and TANDEM at CpG and TpA sites respectively, we have specifically examined the effect of the 2-amino group of guanine on their sequence specificity by using DNA in which that group has been either removed from guanine, added to adenine or both. Previous studies suggested that the recognition of particular nucleotide sequences by these drugs might be dependent upon the placement of the purine 2-amino group, serving as a positive or a negative effector for triostin A and TANDEM respectively. However, the footprinting data reported here indicate that this is not entirely correct, since they show that the 2-amino group of guanine is important for the binding of triostin A to DNA but has absolutely no influence on the interaction of TANDEM with TpA steps. Apparently the binding of triostin A to CpG sites is primarily due to hydrogen bonding interaction between the cyclic peptide of the antibiotic and the 2-amino group of guanine residues, whereas the selective binding of TANDEM to TpA sites is not hydrogen-bond driven and probably originates mainly from steric and/or hydrophobic interactions, perhaps involving indirect recognition of a suitable minor groove structure.