Weakened N3 Hydrogen Bonding by 5-Formylcytosine and 5-Carboxylcytosine Reduces Their Base-Pairing Stability.

ABSTRACT: In the active cytosine demethylation pathway, 5-methylcytosine (5mC) is oxidized sequentially to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC), and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC). Thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) selectively excises 5fC and 5caC but not cytosine (C), 5mC, and 5hmC. We propose that the electron-withdrawing properties of -CHO and -COOH in 5fC and 5caC increase N3 acidity, leading to weakened hydrogen bonding and reduced base pair stability relative to C, 5mC, and 5hmC, thereby facilitating the selective recognition of 5fC and 5caC by TDG. Through (13)C NMR, we measured the pKa at N3 of 5fC as 2.4 and the two pKa's of 5caC as 2.1 and 4.2. We used isotope-edited IR spectroscopy coupled with density functional theory (DFT) calculations to site-specifically assign the more acid

SUBMITTER: Dai Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4782585 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature