Spontaneous DNA Synapsis by Forming Noncanonical Intermolecular Structures

Viacheslav Severov; Vladimir Tsvetkov; Nikolay Barinov; Vladislav Babenko; Dmitry Klinov; Galina Pozmogova

doi:10.3390/polym14102118

Spontaneous DNA Synapsis by Forming Noncanonical Intermolecular Structures

Polymers (Basel). 2022 May 23;14(10):2118. doi: 10.3390/polym14102118.

Authors

Viacheslav Severov¹, Vladimir Tsvetkov^{1

2

3}, Nikolay Barinov¹, Vladislav Babenko¹, Dmitry Klinov^{1

4}, Galina Pozmogova¹

Affiliations

¹ Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, Malaya Pirogovskaya Str. 1a, 119435 Moscow, Russia.
² Institute of Biodesign and Complex System Modeling, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Trubetskaya Str. 8-2, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
³ A.V. Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis, Leninsky prospect Str. 29, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
⁴ Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), 6 Miklukho-Maklaya str.6, 117198 Moscow, Russia.

Abstract

We report the spontaneous formation of DNA-DNA junctions in solution in the absence of proteins visualised using atomic force microscopy. The synapsis position fits with potential G-quadruplex (G4) sites. In contrast to the Holliday structure, these conjugates have an affinity for G4 antibodies. Molecular modelling was used to elucidate the possible G4/IM-synaptic complex structures. Our results indicate a new role of the intermolecular noncanonical structures in chromatin architecture and genomic rearrangement.

Keywords: DNA-DNA junction; G-quadruplex; i-motif; recombination.

Grants and funding

19-015-00024/Russian Foundation for Basic Research