[Artificial nucleases: specific cleavage of the double helix of DNA by oligonucleotides linked to copper-phenanthroline complex].

A homopyrimidine oligonucleotide d(TTTCCTCCTCT) was covalently linked to 1,10-phenanthroline via a 5'-thiophosphate group. In the presence of copper ions and a reducing agent the copper-phenanthroline complex induced cleavage reactions in duplex DNA. The oligonucleotide binds to the major groove of DNA at a homopurine.homopyrimidine sequence, forming a local triple helix. It is oriented parallel to the homopurine strand. Watson-Crick A.T and G.C base pairs are recognized via Hoogsteen-type hydrogen bonding by thymine and protonated cytosine, respectively. The cleavage patterns on opposite strands of duplex DNA at the homopurine.homopyrimidine sequence are asymmetric. They are shifted toward the 3'-side indicating that cleavage takes place from the minor groove even though the oligonucleotide is bound to the major groove. It is therefore suggested that the phenanthroline ring attached to the oligonucleotide intercalates into DNA at the junction between the triple and the double helix and that the copper complex forms in the minor groove where radical reactions leading to strand cleavage occur. The homopyrimidine oligodeoxynucleotide d(TTTCCTCCTCT) tethered to phenanthroline binds to a single site on SV 40 DNA. It cleaves circular and linear SV 40 DNA at this single binding site. Cleavage requires both copper ions and a reducing agent. The unsubstituted oligonucleotide competes with the oligonucleotide-phenanthroline conjugate and prevents site-specific cleavage. These results demonstrate that oligonucleotide-phenanthroline conjugates can be used to induce sequence-specific cleavage of duplex DNA. Such artificial endonucleases could be used, among other things, to map genes on long DNA fragments, to induce site-specific mutations or to block gene expression at the transcriptional level.