Conformation of dinucleoside monophosphates modified with benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol 9,10-oxide as measured by circular dichroism.

The conformational properties of GpU modified with the reactive derivative of benzo[a]pyrene, (+/-)-7beta,8alpha-dihydroxy-9alpha,10alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene, has been investigated utilizing circular dichroism spectroscopy. Binding of this carcinogen to the N2 of G residues in GpU resulted in the formation of four compounds (I to IV) representing two pairs of diastereoisomers. The molar ellipticity values of the modified dimers were approximately twofold higher than those of the modified guanosine monomers. These values were decreased appreciably when the spectra of the dimers were obtained at 80 degrees C or in methanol rather than at 25 degrees C in water, suggesting that under the latter conditions there is a stacking interaction between the carcinogen and the neighboring uridine residue. Based on these results, a conformation is proposed for modified GpU. It includes insertion of the benzo[a]pyrene moiety, by rotation of the modified guanine residue about its glycoside bond, coplanar to the neighboring uridine and perpendicular to the phosphodiester backbone.