High-Resolution Crystal Structure of a Silver(I)-RNA Hybrid Duplex Containing Watson-Crick-like C-Silver(I)-C Metallo-Base Pairs

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2015 Nov 2;54(45):13323-6. doi: 10.1002/anie.201507894. Epub 2015 Oct 8.

Abstract

Metallo-base pairs have been extensively studied for applications in nucleic acid-based nanodevices and genetic code expansion. Metallo-base pairs composed of natural nucleobases are attractive because nanodevices containing natural metallo-base pairs can be easily prepared from commercially available sources. Previously, we have reported a crystal structure of a DNA duplex containing T-Hg(II)-T base pairs. Herein, we have determined a high-resolution crystal structure of the second natural metallo-base pair between pyrimidine bases C-Ag(I)-C formed in an RNA duplex. One Ag(I) occupies the center between two cytosines and forms a C-Ag(I)-C base pair through N3-Ag(I)-N3 linear coordination. The C-Ag(I)-C base pair formation does not disturb the standard A-form conformation of RNA. Since the C-Ag(I)-C base pair is structurally similar to the canonical Watson-Crick base pairs, it can be a useful building block for structure-based design and fabrication of nucleic acid-based nanodevices.

Keywords: RNA; X-ray analysis; crystal structure; metallo-base pairs; silver.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Base Pairing*
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Models, Molecular
  • Pyrimidines / chemistry
  • RNA / chemistry*
  • Silver / chemistry*

Substances

  • Pyrimidines
  • Silver
  • RNA
  • pyrimidine