Enhancing the stability of DNA: a new era for nucleic acid preservation
|Preserving the structural integrity of DNA is crucial in many fields of biology and biotechnology. However, the stability of nucleic acids in aqueous solutions is easily compromised by factors like temperature fluctuations, pH changes, and ionic strength variations. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs), particularly the ones based on choline chloride, are a promising alternative to enhance the stability of nucleic acids, avoiding – due to their low volatility, high stability, tunable chemical characteristics, and low toxicity – the draw effects related to traditional preserving methods.
Dr. Barbara Rossi (Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste), Prof. Andrea Mele (Politecnico of Milano) and colleagues applied a multi-technique approach to better understand how three different choline-based DESs interact with nucleic acid, in particular with 30-base pair double-stranded DNA structure in aqueous solutions. To do so, probing base stacking, hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic interactions that occur, researchers exploited Inelastic Ultraviolet Scattering available at the CERIC Italian Partner Facility, coupled with molecular dynamics simulations. Scientists could then demonstrate that the establishment of hydrogen bonds between choline ions and DNA, particularly at A-T base pairs, is a key factor in maintaining the DNA structure. Moreover, these experiments suggest that DESs actively participate in stabilizing the base stacking, and that electrostatic interactions are critical to preserve DNA’s helical structure.
With the growing understanding of how DESs interact with nucleic acids at the molecular level, it could be possible to develop a new generation of solvent systems that could revolutionize the way we handle and store nucleic acids in both research and industrial applications.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
Local and cooperative structural transitions of double-stranded DNA in choline-based deep eutectic solvents
Fadaei F., Tortora M., Gessini A., Masciovecchio C., Vigna J., Mancini I., Mele A., Vacek J., Minofar B., Rossi B., International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2024