Employing electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, we have characterized the radicals formed in 3′-Azido-3′-deoxythymidine (3′-AZT) and in its 5′-analog 5′-azido-5′-deoxythymidine (5′-AZT) after electron attachment in γ-irradiated aqueous (H 2 O or D 2 O) glassy (7.5 M LiCl) systems. ESR spectral studies and theoretical calculations show that the predominant site of electron capture in 3′-AZT and in 5′-AZT is at the azide group and not at the thymine moiety. The azide group in AZT is therefore more electron affinic than the most electron affinic DNA base, thymine. Electron attachment to 3′-AZT and 5′-AZT results in an unstable azide anion radical intermediate (RN 3 • − ) that is too short lived to be observed in our work even at 77 K. At 77 K we observe the neutral aminyl radical (RNH•) after loss of N 2 from RN 3 • − followed by protonation of nitrene anion radical (RN• − ) to give RNH•. The expected RN• − intermediate is not observed as protonation from water is complete at 77 K even in under highly basic conditions. Formation of RND• in D 2 O solutions confirms water as the source of the NH proton in the RNH•. Our assignments to these radicals are aided by DFT calculations for hyperfine coupling constants which closely match the experimental values. On annealing to higher temperatures (ca. 160-170 K), RNH• undergoes bimolecular hydrogen abstraction reactions from the thymine methyl group and the sugar moiety resulting in the formation of the thymine allyl radical (UCH 2 •) and two sugar radicals -C3′•, C5′•. RNH• also results in one-electron oxidation of the guanine base in 3′-AZG. This work provides a potential mechanism for the reported radiosensitization effects of AZT.

SUMMARY BIBR1532 is a highly specific telomerase inhibitor, however the molecular basis for inhibition is unknown. Here we present the crystal structure of BIBR1532 bound to Tribolium castaneum catalytic subunit of telomerase (tcTERT). BIBR1532 binds to a conserved hydrophobic pocket (FVYL motif) on the outer surface of the thumb domain. The FVYL motif is near TRBD residues that bind the activation domain (CR4/5) of hTER. RNA binding assays show that the human TERT (hTERT) thumb domain binds the P6.1 stem loop of CR4/5 in vitro. hTERT mutations of the FVYL pocket alter wild type CR4/5 binding and cause telomere attrition in cells. Furthermore, the hTERT FVYL mutations V1025F, N1028H and V1090M are implicated in dyskeratosis congenita and aplastic anemia, further supporting the biological and clinical relevance of this novel motif. We propose that CR4/5 contacts with the telomerase thumb domain contribute to telomerase ribonucleoprotein (RNP) assembly and promote enzymatic activity.

The identification of the human homologue of the yeast CST in 2009 posed a new challenge in our understanding of the mechanism of telomere capping in higher eukaryotes. The high-resolution structure of the human Stn1-Ten1 (hStn1-Ten1) complex presented here reveals that hStn1 consists of an OB domain and tandem C-terminal wHTH motifs, while hTen1 consists of a single OB fold. Contacts between the OB domains facilitate formation of a complex that is strikingly similar to the replication protein A (RPA) and yeast Stn1-Ten1 (Ten1) complexes. The hStn1-Ten1 complex exhibits non-specific single-stranded DNA activity that is primarily dependent on hStn1. Cells expressing hStn1 mutants defective for dimerization with hTen1 display elongated telomeres and telomere defects associated with telomere uncapping, suggesting that the telomeric function of hCST is hTen1 dependent. Taken together the data presented here show that the structure of the hStn1-Ten1 subcomplex is conserved across species. Cell based assays indicate that hTen1 is critical for the telomeric function of hCST, both in telomere protection and downregulation of telomerase function.