The promoter of the human KRAS proto-oncogene contains a structurally polymorphic nuclease hypersensitive element (NHE) whose purine strand forms a parallel G-quadruplex structure (called 32R). In a previous work we reported that quadruplex 32R is recognized by three nuclear proteins: PARP-1, Ku70 and hnRNP A1. In this study we describe the interaction of recombinant hnRNP A1 (A1) and its derivative Up1 with the KRAS G-quadruplex. Mobility-shift experiments show that A1/Up1 binds specifically, and also with a high affinity, to quadruplex 32R, while CD demonstrates that the proteins strongly reduce the intensity of the 260 nm-ellipticity—the hallmark for parallel G4-DNA—and unfold the G-quadruplex. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer melting experiments reveal that A1/Up1 completely abrogates the cooperative quadruplex-to-ssDNA transition that characterizes the KRAS quadruplex and facilitates the association between quadruplex 32R and its complementary polypyrimidine strand. When quadruplex 32R is stabilized by TMPyP4, A1/Up1 brings about only a partial destabilization of the G4-DNA structure. The possible role played by hnRNP A1 in the mechanism of KRAS transcription is discussed.

The murine KRAS promoter contains a G-rich nuclease hypersensitive element (GA-element) upstream of the transcription start site that is essential for transcription. Pulldown and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrate that this GA-element is bound by the Myc-associated zinc finger (MAZ) and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) proteins. These proteins are crucial for transcription, because when they are knocked down by short hairpin RNA, transcription is downregulated. This is also the case when the poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation activity of PARP-1 is inhibited by 3,4-dihydro-5-[4-(1-piperidinyl) butoxyl]-1(2H) isoquinolinone. We found that MAZ specifically binds to the duplex and quadruplex conformations of the GA-element, whereas PARP-1 shows specificity only for the G-quadruplex. On the basis of fluorescence resonance energy transfer melting and polymerase stop assays we saw that MAZ stabilizes the KRAS quadruplex. When the capacity of folding in the GA-element is abrogated by specific G 3 T or G 3 A point mutations, KRAS transcription is down-regulated. Conversely, guanidine-modified phthalocyanines, which specifically interact with and stabilize the KRAS G-quadruplex, push the promoter activity up to more than double. Collectively, our data support a transcription mechanism for murine KRAS that involves MAZ, PARP-1 and duplex-quadruplex conformational changes in the promoter GA-element.Guanine-rich sequences have the potential to fold into intramolecular G-quadruplex (or G4-DNA) structures that are stabilized by planar arrays of four guanines paired by Hoogsteen hydrogen bonds (G-tetrad) (1). Quadruplex-forming sequences (QFS) 2 are present in prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes, promoter regions, micro-and mini-satellite repeats, telomeres, rDNA, and the vertebrate immunoglobulin heavy chain switch regions (2). Recent bioinformatic search analyses have shown a surprisingly high presence in the human genome of QFS, on the order of 3-4 ϫ 10 5 (3, 4). The gene distribution of QFS is highly skewed because tumor suppressor genes have a very low level of QFS, whereas proto-oncogenes have a high level of such sequences (5). There seems to be a correlation between QFS and genomic instability; a low level of QFS in tumor suppressor genes is associated with genomic stability, and a high level is associated with genomic instability (5). Furthermore, the observation that QFS are often located in the region surrounding the transcription start sites of the genes and within cis-elements suggests that they may be involved in transcription regulation. This hypothesis has been formulated for a number of genes including CMYC, KRAS, C-MYB, VEGF, PDGFA, CKIT, and human insulin (6 -13). The best studied G-rich sequence folding into a G-quadruplex, whose function has been correlated with a mechanism of transcription regulation, is the one found in the promoter of the CMYC gene (6). Upstream of the P1 promoter, controlling about 80% of transcription, there is a QFS that can fold into a G-quadruplex. When this quadruplex is d...

HRAS is a proto-oncogene involved in the tumorigenesis of urinary bladder cancer. In the HRAS promoter we identified two G-rich elements, hras-1 and hras-2, that fold, respectively, into an antiparallel and a parallel quadruplex (qhras-1, qhras-2). When we introduced in sequence hras-1 or hras-2 two point mutations that block quadruplex formation, transcription increased 5-fold, but when we stabilized the G-quadruplexes by guanidinium phthalocyanines, transcription decreased to 20% of control. By ChIP we found that sequence hras-1 is bound only by MAZ, while hras-2 is bound by MAZ and Sp1: two transcription factors recognizing guanine boxes. We also discovered by EMSA that recombinant MAZ-GST binds to both HRAS quadruplexes, while Sp1-GST only binds to qhras-1. The over-expression of MAZ and Sp1 synergistically activates HRAS transcription, while silencing each gene by RNAi results in a strong down-regulation of transcription. All these data indicate that the HRAS G-quadruplexes behave as transcription repressors. Finally, we designed decoy oligonucleotides mimicking the HRAS quadruplexes, bearing (R)-1-O-[4-(1-Pyrenylethynyl) phenylmethyl] glycerol and LNA modifications to increase their stability and nuclease resistance (G4-decoys). The G4-decoys repressed HRAS transcription and caused a strong antiproliferative effect, mediated by apoptosis, in T24 bladder cancer cells where HRAS is mutated.

Guanidino-modified phthalocyanines are evaluated in vitro (polymerase-stop assays and FRET) and in cultured cells as G4-DNA ligands and modulators of gene transcription.The hypothesis that G-quadruplex DNA (or G4-DNA) is involved in transcription regulation is gaining support. 1 Recent studies have shown that, in addition to the telomeres, G4-DNA motifs are found with a high frequency in the regions surrounding transcription start sites of many genes. 2 G-quadruplex structures have been identified in protooncogenes as well as in 5 0 -untranslated regions of mRNA. 3 Several studies have suggested that G4-DNA affects the transcription of several genes including c-MYC, 4 c-kit, 5 KRAS, 6 VEGF, 7 c-myb 8 and ILPR (insulin gene). 9 Due to its potential as a cancer-specific target, there is considerable interest in developing small ligands that stabilize G4-DNA. 10 Structure-selective G-quadruplex ligands typically have shape and charge complementarity with the stacked G-tetrads that constitute G-quadruplex DNA. For example, pyridinium and ammonium-containing porphyrazine derivatives exhibited improved G-quadruplex specificity as compared to the widely studied, yet non-selective ligand 5,10,15,20-tetra(N-methyl-4pyridyl) porphine (TMPyP4). 11,12 However, no information regarding the cellular uptake or promoter binding of these compounds was reported. Here, we report G4-DNA binding, cellular uptake, and promoter deactivation of a new class of cationic phthalocyanines called guanidino phthalocyanines (GPcs). 13 We have used polymerase-stop assays, CD spectroscopy, and a fluorescence quenching assay to characterize the G-quadruplex affinity and specificity of tetrakis-(diisopropylguanidine) phthalocyanine ''DIGP'' (1), and its Zn-containing derivative ''Zn-DIGP'' (2) (Scheme 1). To facilitate a direct comparison of porphyrin versus phthalocyanine scaffolds, a porphyrin containing four diisopropyl guanidinium groups at meso positions ''DIGPor'' (3) was synthesized and evaluated.Scheme 1 Structures of investigated compounds and common names.

We prepared a series of anthrathiophenediones (ATPDs) with guanidino-alkyl side chains of different length (compounds 1, 10-13). The aim was to investigate their interaction with DNA and RNA G-quadruplexes, their uptake in malignant and nonmalignant cells, and their capacity to modulate gene expression and inhibit cell growth. Flow cytometry showed that the ATPDs enter more efficiently in malignant T24 bladder cells than in nonmalignant embryonic kidney 293 or fibroblast NIH 3T3 cells. In T24 malignant cells, compound 1, with two ethyl side chains, is taken up by endocytosis, while 12 and 13, with respectively propyl and butyl side chains, are transported by passive diffusion. The designed ATPDs localize in the cytoplasm and nucleus and tightly bind to DNA and RNA G-quadruplexes. They also decrease HRAS expression, increase the cell population in G0/G1, and strongly inhibit proliferation in malignant T24 bladder cells, but not in nonmalignant 293 or NIH 3T3 cells.