Production
of small discrete DNA nanostructures containing covalent junctions
requires reliable methods for the synthesis and assembly of branched
oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) conjugates. This study reports an approach
for self-assembly of hard-to-obtain primitive discrete DNA nanostructures“nanoethylenes”,
dimers formed by double-stranded oligonucleotides using V-shaped furcate
blocks. We scaled up the synthesis of V-shaped oligonucleotide conjugates
using pentaerythritol-based diazide and alkyne-modified oligonucleotides
using copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) and optimized
the conditions for “nanoethylene” formation. Next, we
designed nanoethylene-based “nanomonomers” containing
pendant adapters. They demonstrated smooth and high-yield spontaneous
conversion into the smallest cyclic product, DNA tetragon aka “nano-methylcyclobutane”. Formation of
DNA nanostructures was confirmed using native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis
(PAGE) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) and additionally studied
by molecular modeling. The proposed facile approach to discrete DNA
nanostructures using precise adapter-directed association expands
the toolkit for the realm of DNA origami.
A gene coding for a novel putative amylase, oligo-1,6-glucosidase from a psychrotrophic bacterium Exiguobacterium sibiricum from Siberian permafrost soil was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The amino acid sequence of the predicted protein EsOgl and its 3D model displayed several features characteristic for the cold-active enzymes while possessing an unusually high number of proline residues in the loops—a typical feature of thermophilic enzymes. The activity of the purified recombinant protein was tested with p-nitrophenyl α-D-glucopyranoside as a substrate. The enzyme displayed a plateau-shaped temperature-activity profile with the optimum at 25 °C and a pronounced activity at low temperatures (50% of maximum activity at 5 °C). To improve the thermal stability at temperatures above 40 °C, we have introduced proline residues into four positions of EsOgl by site-directed mutagenesis according to “the proline rule”. Two of the mutants, S130P and A109P demonstrated a three- and two-fold increased half-life at 45 °C. Moreover, S130P mutation led to a 60% increase in the catalytic rate constant. Combining the mutations resulted in a further increase in stability transforming the temperature-activity profile to a typical mesophilic pattern. In the most thermostable variant A109P/S130P/E176P, the half-life at 45 °C was increased from 11 min (wild-type) to 129 min.
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