A fluorescent ribonucleoside alphabet, comprised of highly emissive purine (thA, thG) and pyrimidine (thU, thC) analogs, all derived from thieno[3,4-d]pyrimidine as the heterocyclic nucleus, is described. Structural and biophysical analyses demonstrate that the emissive analogs are faithful isomorphic nucleoside surrogates. Photophysical analysis establishes that the nucleosides offer highly desirable qualities, including visible emission, high quantum yield and responsiveness to environmental perturbations, traits entirely lacking in their native counterparts.

DNA methylation patterns, which are critical for gene expression, are replicated by DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and ubiquitin-like containing PHD and RING finger domains 1 (UHRF1) proteins. This replication is initiated by the recognition of hemimethylated CpG sites and further flipping of methylated cytosines (mC) by the Set and Ring Associated (SRA) domain of UHRF1. Although crystallography has shed light on the mechanism of mC flipping by SRA, tools are required to monitor in real time how SRA reads DNA and flips the modified nucleobase. To accomplish this aim, we have utilized two distinct fluorescent nucleobase surrogates, 2-thienyl-3-hydroxychromone nucleoside (3HCnt) and thienoguanosine (thG), incorporated at different positions into hemimethylated (HM) and nonmethylated (NM) DNA duplexes. Large fluorescence changes were associated with mC flipping in HM duplexes, showing the outstanding sensitivity of both nucleobase surrogates to the small structural changes accompanying base flipping. Importantly, the nucleobase surrogates marginally affected the structure of the duplex and its affinity for SRA at positions where they were responsive to base flipping, illustrating their promise as nonperturbing probes for monitoring such events. Stopped-flow studies using these two distinct tools revealed the fast kinetics of SRA binding and sliding to NM duplexes, consistent with its reader role. In contrast, the kinetics of mC flipping was found to be much slower in HM duplexes, substantially increasing the lifetime of CpG-bound UHRF1, and thus the probability of recruiting DNMT1 to faithfully duplicate the DNA methylation profile. The fluorescence-based approach using these two different fluorescent nucleoside surrogates advances the mechanistic understanding of the UHRF1/DNMT1 tandem and the development of assays for the identification of base flipping inhibitors.

The archetypical fluorescent nucleoside analog, 2-aminopurine (2Ap) has been used in countless assays, though it suffers from very low quantum yield, especially when included in double strands, and from the fact that its residual emission frequently does not represent biologically relevant conformations. To conquer 2Ap’s deficiencies, deoxythienoguanosine (dthG) was recently developed. Here, steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy was used to compare the ability of 2Ap and dthG, to substitute and provide relevant structural and dynamical information on a key G residue in the (−) DNA copy of the HIV-1 primer binding site, (−)PBS, both in its stem loop conformation and in the corresponding (+)/(−)PBS duplex. In contrast to 2Ap, this fluorescent nucleoside when included in (−)PBS or (−)/(+)PBS duplex fully preserves their stability and exhibits a respectable quantum yield and a simple fluorescence decay, with marginal amounts of dark species. In further contrast to 2Ap, the fluorescently detected dthG species reflect the predominantly populated G conformers, which allows exploring their relevant dynamics. Being able to perfectly substitute G residues, dthG will transform nucleic acid biophysics by allowing, for the first time, to selectively and faithfully monitor the conformations and dynamics of a given G residue in a DNA sequence.

Thienoguanosine (thG) is an isomorphic nucleoside analogue acting as a faithful fluorescent substitute of G, with respectable quantum yield in oligonucleotides. Photophysical analysis of thG reveals the existence of two ground-state tautomers with significantly shifted absorption and emission wavelengths, and high quantum yield in buffer. Using (TD)-DFT calculations, the tautomers were identified as the H1 and H3 keto-amino tautomers. When incorporated into the loop of (−)PBS, the (−)DNA copy of the HIV-1 primer binding site, both tautomers are observed and show differential sensitivity to protein binding. The red-shifted H1 tautomer is strongly favored in matched (−)/(+)PBS duplexes, while the relative emission of the H3 tautomer can be used to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms. These tautomers and their distinct environmental sensitivity provide unprecedented information channels for analyzing G residues in oligonucleotides and their complexes.

The fastidious behavior of T7 RNA polymerase limits the incorporation of synthetic nucleosides into RNA transcripts, particularly at or near the promoter. The practically exclusive use of GTP for transcription initiation further compounds this challenge, and reactions with GTP analogs, where the heterocyclic nucleus has been altered, have not, to our knowledge, been demonstrated. The enzymatic incorporation of thGTP, a newly synthesized isomorphic fluorescent nucleotide with a thieno[3,4-d]pyrimidine core, is explored. The modified nucleotide can initiate and maintain transcription reactions, leading to the formation of fully modified and highly emissive RNA transcripts with thG replacing all guanosine residues. Short and long modified transcripts are synthesized in comparable yields to their natural counterparts. To assess proper folding and function, transcripts were used to assemble a hammerhead ribozyme with all permutations of natural and modified enzyme and substrate strands. The thG modified substrate was effectively cleaved by the natural RNA enzyme, demonstrating the isomorphic features of the nucleoside and its ability to replace G residues while retaining proper folding. In contrast, the thG modified enzyme showed little cleavage ability, suggesting the modifications likely disrupted the catalytic center, illustrating the significance of the Hoogsteen face in mediating appropriate contacts. Importantly, the ribozyme cleavage reaction of the emissive fluorescent transcripts could be followed in real time by fluorescence spectroscopy. Beyond their utility as fluorescent probes in biophysical and discovery assays, the results reported point to the potential utility of such isomorphic nucleosides in probing specific mechanistic questions in RNA catalysis and RNA structural analysis.