Solution structure of a small-molecular ligand complexed with CAG trinucleotide repeat DNA

Abstract

NMR structure of the first identified ligand, naphthyridine-azaquinolone (NA), complexed with the CAG-CAG triad is reported. The determined structure revealed the invasive ligands binding to the A-A mismatch and flanking G-C base pairs, causing the widowed cytosines to flip out from pi-stack. Hydrogen-bond pairs between NA and DNA, naphthyridine-guanine and azaquinolone-adenine, are well stacked in the right-handed DNA helix, showing structural mimicry of Watson-Crick base pairing. This is the first observation that the small molecular ligand induced the base flipping of the nucleotide base in the Watson-Crick base pair.