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Title: Differences in Electrostatic Potential Around DNA Fragments Containing Adenine and 8-oxo-Adenine. An Analysis Based on Regular Cylindrical Projection

Journal Article · · Journal of Molecular Graphics and Modelling

Changes of electrostatic potential (EP) around the DNA molecule resulting from chemical modifications of nucleotides may play a role in enzymatic recognition of damaged sites. Effects of chemical modifications of nucleotides on the structure of DNA have been characterized through large scale density functional theory computations. Quantum mechanical structural optimizations of DNA fragments with three pairs of nucleotides and accompanying counteractions were performed with a B3LYP exchange-correlation functional and 6-31G** basis sets. The “intact” DNA fragment contained adenine in the middle layer, while the “damaged” fragment had the adenine replaced with 8-oxo-adenine. The electrostatic potential around these DNA fragments was projected on a cylindrical surface around the double helix. The two-dimensional maps of EP of the intact and damaged DNA fragments were analyzed to identify these modifications of EP that result from the occurrence of 8-oxo-adenine (8oA). It was found that distortions of a phosphate group neighboring 8oA and displacements of the accompanying countercation are clearly reflected in the EP maps. Helpful discussions Michel Dupuis are gratefully acknowledged. Authors wish to thank Marcel Swart for directing us to a compilation of van der Waals radii. This work was supported by the: (i) US DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research, Low Dose Radiation Research Program (M.G. and M.H.), (ii) the Office of Science (BER), U. S. Department of Energy, Grant No. DE-FG03-02ER63470 (JHM), (iii) Polish State Committee for Scientific Research (KBN) Grant DS/8221-4-0140-6 (MG), (iv) European Social Funds (EFS) ZPORR/2.22/II/2.6/ARP/U/2/05 (M.H.). M.H. holds the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) award for young scientists. The calculations were performed at the Academic Computer Center in Gdansk (TASK) and at the Molecular Science Computing Facility (MSCF) in the William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a national scientific user facility sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is operated by Battelle for the US Department of Energy. The MSCF resources were available through a pilot project.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab. (EMSL)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
920954
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-52540; 5119; 3687; KC0302010; TRN: US200805%%248
Journal Information:
Journal of Molecular Graphics and Modelling, Vol. 26, Issue 1; ISSN 1093-3263
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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