Jiří Šponer

Benchmark database of accurate (MP2 and CCSD(T) complete basis set limit) interaction energies of small model complexes, DNA base pairs, and amino acid pairs

MP2 and CCSD(T) complete basis set (CBS) limit interaction energies and geometries for more than 100 DNA base pairs, amino acid pairs and model complexes are for the first time presented together. Extrapolation to the CBS limit is done by using two-point extrapolation methods and different basis sets (aug-cc-pVDZ - aug-cc-pVTZ, aug-cc-pVTZ - aug-cc-pVQZ, cc-pVTZ - cc-pVQZ) are utilized. The CCSD(T) correction term, determined as a difference between CCSD(T) and MP2 interaction energies, is evaluated with smaller basis sets (6-31G** and cc-pVDZ). Two sets of complex geometries were used, optimized or experimental ones. The JSCH-2005 benchmark set, which is now available to the chemical community, can be used for testing lower-level computational methods. For the first screening the smaller training set (S22) containing 22 model complexes can be recommended. In this case larger basis sets were used for extrapolation to the CBS limit and also CCSD(T) and counterpoise-corrected MP2 optimized geometries were sometimes adopted.

Density functional theory and molecular clusters

Density functional theory (DFT) methods, including nonlocal density gradient terms in the exchange and correlation energy functionals, were applied to various types of molecular clusters: H‐bonded, ionic, electrostatic, and London. Reliable results on the structure and stabilization energy were obtained for the first two types of cluster as long as Becke3LYP and Becke3P86 functionals and basis sets of at least DZ + P quality were used. DFT methods with currently available functionals failed completely, however, for London‐type clusters, for which no minimum was found on the potential energy surfaces. DFT interaction energy exhibits the same basis set extension dependence as the Hartree‐Fock (HF) interaction energy. Therefore, the Boys‐Bernardi function counterpoise procedure should be employed for elimination of the DFT basis set superposition error.

Refinement of the Cornell et al. Nucleic acids force field based on reference quantum chemical calculations of glycosidic torsion profiles

We report a reparameterization of the glycosidic torsion χ of the Cornell et al. AMBER force field for RNA, χOL. The parameters remove destabilization of the anti region found in the ff99 force field and thus prevent formation of spurious ladder-like structural distortions in RNA simulations. They also improve the description of the syn region and the syn–anti balance as well as enhance MD simulations of various RNA structures. Although χOL can be combined with both ff99 and ff99bsc0, we recommend the latter. We do not recommend using χOL for B-DNA because it does not improve upon ff99bsc0 for canonical structures. However, it might be useful in simulations of DNA molecules containing syn nucleotides. Our parametrization is based on high-level QM calculations and differs from conventional parametrization approaches in that it incorporates some previously neglected solvation-related effects (which appear to be essential for obtaining correct anti/high-anti balance). Our χOL force field is compared with several previous glycosidic torsion parametrizations.

Electronic properties, hydrogen bonding, stacking, and cation binding of DNA and RNA bases.

This review summarizes results concerning molecular interactions of nucleic acid bases as revealed by advanced ab initio quantum chemical (QM) calculations published in last few years. We first explain advantages and limitations of modern QM calculations of nucleobases and provide a brief history of this still rather new field. Then we provide an overview of key electronic properties of standard and selected modified nucleobases, such as their charge distributions, dipole moments, polarizabilities, proton affinities, tautomeric equilibria, and amino group hybridization. Then we continue with hydrogen bonding of nucleobases, by analyzing energetics of standard base pairs, mismatched base pairs, thio‐base pairs, and others. After this, the nature of aromatic stacking interactions is explained. Also, nonclassical interactions in nucleic acids such as interstrand bifurcated hydrogen bonds, interstrand close amino group contacts, C—H … O interbase contacts, sugar–base stacking, intrinsically nonplanar base pairs, out‐of‐plane hydrogen bonds, and amino–acceptor interactions are commented on. Finally, we overview recent calculations on interactions between nucleic acid bases and metal cations. These studies deal with effects of cation binding on the strength of base pairs, analysis of specific differences among cations, such as the difference between zinc and magnesium, the influence of metalation on protonation and tautomeric equlibria of bases, and cation–π interactions involving nucleobases. In this review, we do not provide methodological details, as these can be found in our preceding reviews. The interrelation between advanced QM approaches and classical molecular dynamics simulations is briefly discussed.

Nature and magnitude of aromatic stacking of nucleic acid bases

This review summarises recent advances in quantum chemical calculations of base-stacking forces in nucleic acids. We explain in detail the very complex relationship between the gas-phase base-stacking energies, as revealed by quantum chemical (QM) calculations, and the highly variable roles of these interactions in nucleic acids. This issue is rarely discussed in quantum chemical and physical chemistry literature. We further extensively discuss methods that are available for base-stacking studies, complexity of comparison of stacking calculations with gas phase experiments, balance of forces in stacked complexes of nucleic acid bases, and the relation between QM and force field descriptions. We also review all recent calculations on base-stacking systems, including details analysis of the B-DNA stacking. Specific attention is paid to the highest accuracy QM calculations, to the decomposition of the interactions, and development of dispersion-balanced DFT methods. Future prospects of computational studies of base stacking are discussed.

Performance of empirical potentials (AMBER, CFF95, CVFF, CHARMM, OPLS, POLTEV), semiempirical quantum chemical methods (AM1, MNDO/M, PM3), and ab initio Hartree–Fock method for interaction of DNA bases: Comparison with nonempirical beyond Hartree–Fock results

Empirical energy functions (AMBER 4.1, CFF95, CHARMM23, OPLS, Poltev), semiempirical quantum chemical methods (AM1, MNDO/M, PM3), and the nonempirical ab initio self‐consistent field (SCF) method utilizing a minimal basis set combined with the London dispersion energy (SCFD method) were used for calculation of stabilization energies of 26 H‐bonded DNA base pairs, 10 stacked DNA base pairs (thymine was replaced by uracil), and the B‐DNA decamer (only DNA bases were considered). These energies were compared with nonempirical ab initio beyond Hartree–Fock values [second‐order Møller–Plesset (MP2)/6–31G*(0.25)]. The best performance was exhibited by AMBER 4.1 with the force field of Cornell et al. The SCFD method, tested for H‐bonded pairs only, exhibited stabilization energies that were too large. Semiempirical quantum chemical methods gave poor agreement with MP2 values in the H‐bonded systems and failed completely for stacked pairs. A similar failure was recently reported for density functional theory calculations on base stacking. It may be concluded that currently available force fields provide much better descriptions of interactions of nucleic acid bases than the semiempirical methods and low‐level ab initio treatment.

DNA Basepair Step Deformability Inferred from Molecular Dynamics Simulations

The sequence-dependent DNA deformability at the basepair step level was investigated using large-scale atomic resolution molecular dynamics simulation of two 18-bp DNA oligomers: d(GCCTATAAACGCCTATAA) and d(CTAGGTGGATGACTCATT). From an analysis of the structural fluctuations, the harmonic potential energy functions for all 10 unique steps with respect to the six step parameters have been evaluated. In the case of roll, three distinct groups of steps have been identified: the flexible pyrimidine-purine (YR) steps, intermediate purine-purine (RR), and stiff purine-pyrimidine (RY). The YR steps appear to be the most flexible in tilt and partially in twist. Increasing stiffness from YR through RR to RY was observed for rise, whereas shift and slide lack simple trends. A proposed measure of the relative importance of couplings identifies the slide-rise, twist-roll, and twist-slide couplings to play a major role. The force constants obtained are of similar magnitudes to those based on a crystallographic ensemble. However, the current data have a less complicated and less pronounced sequence dependence. A correlation analysis reveals concerted motions of neighboring steps and thus exposes limitations in the dinucleotide model. The comparison of DNA deformability from this and other studies with recent quantum-chemical stacking energy calculations suggests poor correlation between the stacking and flexibility.

Hydrogen Bonding and Stacking of DNA Bases: A Review of Quantum-chemical ab initio Studies

Ab initio quantum-chemical calulations with inclusion of electron correlation made since 1994 (such reliable calculations were not feasible before) significantly modified our view on interactions of nucleic acid bases. These calculations allowed to perform the first reliable comparison of the strength of stacked and hydrogen bonded pairs of nucleic acid bases, and to characterize the nature of the base-base interactions. Although hydrogen-bonded complexes of nucleobases are primarily stabilized by the electrostatic interaction, the dispersion attraction is also important. The stacked pairs are stabilized by dispersion attraction, however, the mutual orientation of stacked bases is determined rather by the electrostatic energy. Some popular theories of stacking were ruled out: The theory based on attractive interactions of polar exocyclic groups of bases with delocalized electrons of the aromatic rings (Bugg et al., Biopolymers 10, 175 (1971), and the pi-pi interactions model (C.A. Hunter, J. Mol. Biol. 230, 1025 (1993)). The calculations demonstrated that amino groups of nucleobases are very flexible and intrinsically nonplanar, allowing hydrogen-bond-like interactions which are oriented out of the plane of the nucleobase. Many H-bonded DNA base pairs are intrinsically nonplanar. Higher-level ab initio calculations provide a unique set of reliable and consistent data for parametrization and verification of empirical potentials. In this article, we present a short survey of the recent calculations, and discuss their significance and limitations. This summary is written for readers which are not experts in computational quantum chemistry.

DNA base amino groups and their role in molecular interactions: Ab initio and preliminary density functional theory calculations

Interactions of DNA bases frequently involve the DNA base amino groups. In contrast to the empirical force fields, the ab initio calculations predict nonplanar DNA base amino groups. The same conclusion also follows from the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Both local and nonlocal density approximations were used. Optimized geometries of two other molecules with nonplanar amino groups (aniline, formamidine) are presented for comparison. The influence of nonplanar DNA base amino groups on the conformational variability of DNA is discussed.

MP2 and CCSD(T) study on hydrogen bonding, aromatic stacking and nonaromatic stacking

Abstract Three groups of molecular clusters were studied using the coupled cluster method with non-iterative triple excitations (CCSD(T)) and the second-order Moller-Plesset perturbational method (MP2): H-bonded DNA base pairs ((cytosine) 2 , (isocytosine) 2 and (uracil) 2 ), aromatic stacked complexes ((pyrrol) 2 , (pyrimidine) 2 , (triazine) 2 , (aminotriazine) 2 , (4-aminopyrimidine) 2 and (1-aminopyrimidine) 2 ) and cyclic H-bonded and stacked (formamide) 2 and (formamidine) 2 dimers. The higher-order correlation energy contributions are repulsive in all aromatic stacked clusters, while for all other systems the CCSD(T) and MP2 methods provide nearly identical results. The interaction energies of stacked complexes converge with the size of basis set much faster than the interaction energies of H-bonded clusters. It follows from the present data that the stacking energies of nucleic acid base pairs, evaluated at the MP2 level with diffuse-polarized medium-sized basis sets should be close to the actual values. The stabilization of H-bonded base pairs evaluated at the same level of theory is expected to be underestimated.