Issue June 2005

category image Volume 22
No. 6 (p 615-878)
June 2005
ISSN 0739-110

Computational Evaluation of Intermolecular Interactions of a Universal Base 3-Nitropyrrole in Stacked Dimers and DNA Duplexes (p. 735-746)

The stacking interactions between a universal base of 3-nitropyrrole (3NP) and four canonical nucleobases were studied by means of ab initio molecular orbital calculations. The stabilities of the complexes are comparable to those of the stacked dimers of canonical bases reported previously. The detailed analysis of the interaction energies revealed the importance of the dipole-dipole interaction included in the Hartree-Fock terms to determine the geometry dependence of the stacking energies. It was also clarified that the dispersion energies included in the electron-correlation terms were essential to obtain adequate stabilities. The contribution of the nitro group was evaluated by the comparative studies of pyrrole and 3NP. The increased molecular dipole moment and surface are expected to account for the enhancement of the stability of the stacked dimers containing 3NP. The force field parameters required for calculation of the molecular mechanics of 3NP were obtained for 3NP on the basis of these molecular orbital calculations. The energy-minimized structures obtained by the molecular mechanics calculations of 3NP accorded with those obtained by the molecular orbital calculations described above. A DNA duplex structure containing 3NP-A, 3NP-T, or 3NP-C was calculated by use of these force field parameters. In the case of 3NP-A, the computationally calculated structure was in good agreement with that previously determined by use of 1H-NMR except for the orientation of the nitro group.

Kohji Seio1,3
Hisashi Ukawa2
Koh-ichiro Shohda2
Mitsuo Sekine2,3,*

1Frontier Collaborative Research Center
Tokyo Institute of Technology
2Department of Life Science
Tokyo Institute of Technology
3CREST
JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency)
4259 Nagatsuta
Midoriku, Yokohama, Japan
*Email: msekine@bio.titech.ac.jp

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