UK-63052

The quinomycin antibiotic UK-63052 (designated QN) exhibits a chemical structure related to the antibiotic echinomycin which is known to bisintercalate into DNA. Common features among these antibiotics include two heterocyclic aromatic ring systems propagating from a cross-bridged cyclic octadepsipeptide scaffold. We report on the solution structure of the QN-d(A1-C2-A3-C4-G5-T6-G7-T8) complex (one QN molecule per duplex) based on a combined NMR-molecular dynamics study including intensity-based refinement. The 3-hydroxy quinaldic acid rings bisintercalate into the duplex at (A3-C4).(G5-T6) steps and stack with flanking Watson-Crick A3.T6 and C4.G5 base-pairs. The intercalation sites at (A3-C4).(G5-T6) steps are wedge-shaped and unwound, with significant unwinding also observed at the (C4-C5).(C4-G5) step bracketed between the intercalation sites. The cross-bridged cyclic octadepsipeptide is positioned in the minor groove with the methyl groups on its Ala and NMe-MCp residues directed towards and making van der Waals contacts with the minor groove edge of the duplex. A pair of adjacent intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the Ala backbone atoms and the G5 minor groove edge (Ala-NH to G5-N(3) and G5-NH2e to Ala-CO) account for the sequence specificity associated with complex formation. The solution structure of the QN-DNA oligomer complex, which contains only Watson-Crick base-pairs flanking the bisintercalation site, is compared with the crystal structure of the related echinomycin-DNA oligomer complex, which contains Hoogsteen base-pairs on either side of the bisintercalation site.

The interaction between UK63052, a novel derivative of the quinomycin group of bifunctional intercalating antibiotics, with DNA has been investigated by footprinting techniques and the results compared with echinomycin. UK63052 binds strongly but reversibly to DNA and decreases the gel mobility of most DNA fragments, although the mobility of bent kinetoplast DNA is increased. The drug binds selectively to the dinucleotide CpG though not all such sequences present good binding sites. Binding is best when CG is surrounded by AT base pairs. UK63052 and echinomycin have different effects on DNA structure as assessed by changes in the sensitivity to modification by diethylpyrocarbonate. The results are interpreted by suggesting that substitutions on the chromophores affect the precise details of DNA recognition.

Our interest on engineering non-ribosomal synthetase responsible for SW-163 biosynthesis prompted us to determine the relative and absolute configuration of antitumor cyclic depsipeptide SW-163s. We first isolated and identified SW-163 homologs D, F and G as known compounds UK-63598, UK-65662 and UK-63052, respectively. Both enantiomers of the unusual constitutive amino acid, N-methylnorcoromic acid, were synthesized in chiral forms starting from (R)- and (S)-1,2-propanediol. The hydrolyzate of SW-163D, a major constituent of this family, was converted with Marfey's reagent, 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrophenyl-5-L-alanine-amide (L-FDAA), and the resulting mixture of amino acid derivatives was subjected to an LC/MS analysis. Compared with authentic samples, the analytical data unambiguously show that SW-163D consisted of L-Ala, D-Ser and (1S, 2S)-N-methylnorcoronamic acid. The remaining stereochemistry of the N-methylcysteine moieties was determined from NOE data.