Anna Varizhuk

Comparison of the 'chemical' and 'structural' approaches to the optimization of the thrombin-binding aptamer.

Noncanonically structured DNA aptamers to thrombin were examined. Two different approaches were used to improve stability, binding affinity and biological activity of a known thrombin-binding aptamer. These approaches are chemical modification and the addition of a duplex module to the aptamer core structure. Several chemically modified aptamers and the duplex-bearing ones were all studied under the same conditions by a set of widely known and some relatively new methods. A number of the thrombin-binding aptamer analogs have demonstrated improved characteristics. Most importantly, the study allowed us to compare directly the two approaches to aptamer optimization and to analyze their relative advantages and disadvantages as well as their potential in drug design and fundamental studies.

Synthesis and hybridization data of oligonucleotide analogs with triazole internucleotide linkages, potential antiviral and antitumor agents

Triazolyl-functionalized oligonucleotide (ON) analogs have received much attention as potential antitumor and antiviral agents. The most promising of such analogs are those exhibiting high binding affinity toward native DNA/RNA, since they may prove to be efficient antisense or siRNA agents. To date, relatively few ON analogs with triazole internucleotide linkages have been described. In this paper, we report an improved synthesis of a modified dinucleoside phosphoramidite and hybridization data of ON analogs with four-bond triazole internucleotide linkages. We believe these data are essential for comprehensive analysis of the relation between the length of triazole internucleotide linkages and duplex stability.

Anomeric DNA quadruplexes

Thrombin-binding aptamer (TBA) is a 15-nt DNA oligomer that efficiently inhibits thrombin. It has been shown that TBA folds into an anti-parallel unimolecular G-quadruplex. Its three-dimensional chair-like structure consists of two G-tetrads connected by TT and TGT loops. TBA undergoes fast degradation by nucleases in vivo. To improve the nuclease resistance of TBA, a number of modified analogs have been proposed. Here, we describe anomeric modifications of TBA. Non-natural α anomers were used to replace selected nucleotides in the loops and core. Significant stabilization of the quadruplex was observed for the anomeric modification of TT loops at T4 and T13. Replacement of the core guanines either prevents quadruplex assembly or induces rearrangement in G-tetrads. It was found that the anticoagulant properties of chimeric aptamers could be retained only with intact TT loops. On the contrary, modification of the TGT loop was shown to substantially increase nuclease resistance of the chimeric aptamer without a notable disturbance of its anticoagulant activity.

The systematic approach to describing conformational rearrangements in G-quadruplexes

Conformational changes in DNA G-quadruplex (GQ)-forming regions affect genome function and, thus, compose an interesting research topic. Computer modelling may yield insight into quadruplex folding and rearrangement, particularly molecular dynamics simulations. Here, we show that specific parameters, which are distinct from those commonly used in DNA conformational analyses, must be introduced for adequate interpretation and, most importantly, convenient visual representation of the quadruplex modelling results. We report a set of parameters that comprehensively and systematically describe GQ geometry in dynamics. The parameters include those related to quartet planarity, quadruplex twist, and quartet stacking; they are used to quantitatively characterise various types of quadruplexes and rearrangements, such as quartet distortion/disruption or deviation/bulging of a single nucleotide from the quartet plane. Our approach to describing conformational changes in quadruplexes using the new parameters is exemplified by telomeric quadruplex rearrangement, and the benefits of applying this approach to analyse other structures are discussed.

DNA complexes with Ni nanoparticles: structural and functional properties

Supramolecular complexes of biopolymers based on magnetic nanoparticles play an important role in creation of biosensors, implementation of theragnostic and gene therapeutic methods and biosafety evaluation. We investigated the impact of DNA interactions with nanoparticles of nickel (nNi) on the integrity and functionality of DNA. Data obtained by mass spectrometry, electrophoresis, TEM and AFM microscopy techniques, bacterial transformation, and real-time PCR provide evidence that ssDNA and plasmid DNA (pDNA) efficiently form complexes with nNi. AFM data suggest that the complexes are necklace-type structures, in which nanoparticles are randomly distributed along the DNA chains, rather than highly entangled clot-type structures. After desorption, observed DNA characteristics in bioanalytical and biological systems remain unchanged. Only supercoiled pDNA was nicked, but remained, as well as a plasmid–nNi complex, active in expression vector assays. These results are very important for creation of new methods of DNA immobilization and controlled manipulation.

Oligonucleotide Analogs with Peptide Internucleotide Linkages

Oligonucleotide analogs containing one or a few glycine, L-, and D-alanine or L-and D-phenylalanine residues instead of phosphodiesterinternucleotide linkages were synthesized. The stability of the duplexes formed by modified oligonucleotides and their wildtype complements was studied. Oligonucleotides with D-alanine residues in internucleotide linkages form duplexes more stable than native ones (ΔTm +0.2°C per modification), whereas other modifications destabilize the duplexes.

Genetically encoded calcium indicator with NTnC-like design and enhanced fluorescence contrast and kinetics

BackgroundThe recently developed genetically encoded calcium indicator (GECI), called NTnC, has a novel design with reduced size due to utilization of the troponin C (TnC) as a Ca2+-binding moiety inserted into the mNeonGreen fluorescent protein. NTnC binds two times less Ca2+ ions while maintaining a higher fluorescence brightness at the basal level of Ca2+ in neurons as compared with the calmodulin-based GECIs, such as GCaMPs. In spite of NTnC’s high brightness, pH-stability, and high sensitivity to single action potentials, it has a limited fluorescence contrast (F-Ca2+/F+Ca2+) and slow Ca2+ dissociation kinetics.ResultsHerein, we developed a new NTnC-like GECI with enhanced fluorescence contrast and kinetics by replacing the mNeonGreen fluorescent subunit of the NTnC indicator with EYFP. Similar to NTnC, the developed indicator, named iYTnC2, has an inverted fluorescence response to Ca2+ (i.e. becoming dimmer with an increase of Ca2+ concentration). In the presence of Mg2+ ions, iYTnC2 demonstrated a 2.8-fold improved fluorescence contrast in vitro as compared with NTnC. The iYTnC2 indicator has lower brightness and pH-stability, but similar photostability as compared with NTnC in vitro. Stopped-flow fluorimetry studies revealed that iYTnC2 has 5-fold faster Ca2+ dissociation kinetics than NTnC. When compared with GCaMP6f GECI, iYTnC2 has up to 5.6-fold faster Ca2+ association kinetics and 1.7-fold slower dissociation kinetics. During calcium transients in cultured mammalian cells, iYTnC2 demonstrated a 2.7-fold higher fluorescence contrast as compared with that for the NTnC. iYTnC2 demonstrated a 4-fold larger response to Ca2+ transients in neuronal cultures than responses of NTnC. iYTnC2 response in neurons was additionally characterized using whole-cell patch clamp. Finally, we demonstrated that iYTnC2 can visualize neuronal activity in vivo in the hippocampus of freely moving mice using a nVista miniscope.ConclusionsWe demonstrate that expanding the family of NTnC-like calcium indicators is a promising strategy for the development of the next generation of GECIs with smaller molecule size and lower Ca2+ ions buffering capacity as compared with commonly used GECIs.

Synthesis of oligonucleotides containing novel G-clamp analogue with C8-tethered group in phenoxazine ring: Implication to qPCR detection of the low-copy Kemerovo virus dsRNA

Nowadays modified oligonucleotides are widely used in diagnostics and as novel therapeutics. Introduction of modified or unnatural residues into oligonucleotides allows fine tuning of their binding properties to complementary nucleic acids and leads to improved stability both in vitro and in vivo. Previously it was demonstrated that insertion of phenoxazine nucleotides with various groups in C9-position into oligonucleotides leads to a significant increase of duplex stability with complementary DNA and RNA. Here the synthesis of a novel G-clamp nucleoside analogue (G8AE-clamp) bearing 2-aminoethyl tether at C8-atom is presented. Introduction of such modified residues into oligonucleotides lead to enhanced specificity of duplex formation towards complementary DNA and RNA targets with increased thermal and 3-exonuclease stability. According to CD-spectroscopy studies G8AE-clamp does not substantially disrupt helix geometry. Primers containing G8AE-clamp demonstrated superior sensitivity in qPCR detection of dsRNA of Kemerovo virus in comparison to native oligonucleotides.

Polyanionic Carboxyethyl Peptide Nucleic Acids (ce-PNAs): Synthesis and DNA Binding

New polyanionic modifications of polyamide nucleic acid mimics were obtained. Thymine decamers were synthesized from respective chiral α- and γ-monomers, and their enantiomeric purity was assessed. Here, we present the decamer synthesis, purification and characterization by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and an investigation of the hybridization properties of the decamers. We show that the modified γ-S-carboxyethyl-T10 PNA forms a stable triplex with polyadenine DNA.

An Improved Search Algorithm to Find G-Quadruplexes in Genome Sequences

A growing body of data suggests that the secondary structures adopted by G-rich polynucleotides may be more diverse than previously thought and that the definition of G-quadruplex-forming sequences should be broadened. We studied solution structures of a series of naturally occurring and model single-stranded DNA fragments defying the G3+NL1G3+NL2G3+NL3G3+ formula, which is used in most of the current GQ-search algorithms. The results confirm the GQ-forming potential of such sequences and suggest the existence of new types of GQs. We developed an improved (broadened) GQ-search algorithm (http://niifhm.ru/nauchnye-issledovanija/otdel-molekuljarnoj-biologii-i-genetiki/laboratorija-iskusstvennogo-antitelogeneza/497-2/) that accounts for the recently reported new types of GQs.