Vol.’ 40, No. 4, 1970
BIOCHEMICAL
BISULFITE-CATALYZED
TRANSAMINATION OF CYTOSINE AND CYTIDINE
Robert Department
of
AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
Shapiro
Chemistry,
and Josef
New York
M. Weisgras
University,
New York,
N.Y.
10003
Received July 6, 1970 Summary :
Sodium bisulfite catalyzes the reaction of cytosine derivatives with amines to give N4-substituted cytosines. The reactions proceed in good yield, under mild conditions, with a number of aliphatic and aromatic amines. It is suggested that bisulfite may cause the cross-linking of nucleic acids and proteins by this mechanism.
It tives
under
a useful been
3 water
principal
mild
method
applied
acids. with
has recently
been
conditions for
the
to the
deamination
product
that for
NaHS03 reacts
the
in such
cytosine
of the
certain
amines
is
the
C4
N4 - alkyl
839
R
This
deriva-
constitutes and has
residues
can compete 2 (see
HN
cytosine
derivatives,
cytosine
intermediate, cases
with
1 + 2 + 3 + 4. 1,2 I -
of simple
deamination
to report
as a nucleophile
that
by the path,
specific
We now wish
reaction
reported
of nucleic successfully
Scheme 1).
The
- or arylcytosine,
Vol. 40, No. 4, 1970
6, presumably known
BIOCHEMICAL
formed
reactions
tives.
of
In these
serves
both
amino
group.
via -
in Table apart
I.
identities
spectra
synthesized
were
established
by satisfactory
properties
:
6h,
mp 290-293
10,700;
PH 7 A 280 mu, E max
400;
(decomp)
;A
PH 1
14,600;
increased
were: yield
rate
of the
(decomp);
R 2-propanol f ’
- water
tion
rate
effect
also
deamination
falls
of this
off
on the
anilinium
ion
(pKa 4.63).
cytosine
with
methylamine
at pH 7.3,
but
only
is
(pK,
uracil
very
was undoubtedly
upon the
equilibrium,
more
compensated
7.5
10.66).
was formed
above
This
reaction
resonance
for
1 + 2. 1 ..f -
the
(tic), spectra
for
the
than
when the
reactions
Thus,
the
840
yield
reaction
adverse
time
the
as the
effect
required
in the
1
The
decreased
The deaminabeneficial of aniline
to
reaction
of
of 6d was obtained -,was run at pH 5 .O. The
was avoided,
due to the
pH.
conversion
An excellent
of 6a.
to the
5, but
was seen
the
76%; pH 7, 80%.
acidic
effect
of
preparation
more basic
by the
6h -_ of 6h -I
The variation
at the
for
A more dramatic
use of pH values slow.
(80:20)
to pH 5, can be ascribed
at pH values
yield
PH 7 X 276 mu, E
pH 1 max A 288 rnp, E max
pH 3, 62%; pH 4, 64%, pH 5, 68%; pH 6,
competing
following
12,700;
6i, mp 205-206 m-.
at pH 7, as compared
samples
6h and i were II
283 mu,
6i, 0.80. The infrared and nuclear magnetic -and 6i were in accord with their assigned structures. -yield (determined by tic) with pH was investigated
and ultra-
authentic
and by the
0.75,
The results
infrared
max
pH 14” A 290 mn,c max
10,400;
The
with
analyses
are summarized
or uridine.
The new products,
elemental
its
(tic),
of their
(80:20)]
displace
chromatography
uracil
by comparison - water
and to
and yields
layer
to the 536 deriva-
same nucleophile
cytosine,
6, were
7-11
analogous
the
used,
by thin
products,
by known procedures.
case,
conditions
observed
is
and semicarbazide
bond of
run,
product
process
the present
and Rf [Z-propanol
characterized
16,
reactions
This
hydroxylamine4
5,6-double
transamination
of 6a-g -,---
5.
unlike the
The only the
with
reactions,
to saturate
from
violet
intermediate
cytosine
The successful
AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNlCATldNS
rates
of increasing for
the
complete
became pH con-
8-C10H7CH3CH3-CH2C02H CH3-CH2CH2CH2CH2-CW~CH~CH~CH~-
H-
B-D-ribofuranosyl-
H-
H-
H-
B-D-ribofuranosyl-
CH3-
H-
H-
H-
H-
H-
B-D-rihofuranosyl-
H-
R"
B-D-ribofuranosyl-
R'
'gH5o-HOC6H4-
H-
R
36
21
45
5
30
30
10
10
30
mmo1es.a amine
PREPARATIONOF SUBSTITUTEDCYTGSINEDERIVATIVES
80
92
51
72
90
88
30
54
80
58
55
50
58
65
% yiedd % yiel$ (tic)(prep)-
6.7
7.4
7.2
7.4
7.1
7.3
5.0
4.1
7.0
pH
(ml)d
H20 (101
H20 (10)
H20 (101
H20 (7.5)
H20 (10)
H20 (12.5)
60% C2H50H (50)
57% C2H50H (35)
40% C2H50H (10)
solvent
48"
25'
4o"
25'
36'
35O
40"
5o"
37O
temp
168
108
144
96
288
66
24
6
69
time
aMmoles of cytosine (or cytidine) and NaHS03 were kept at 1 and 12.5, respectively. b The solution was brought to pH 12, with NaOH. The substances (1, 4, and 6) were separated by tic on cellulose in 2-propanol-water (80:20) for 9, b, and f; in 2-propanol-HCl-water (65:16.7:18.3) for 5 and d; in l-butanol-water-NH3 (86:14:1) followed by 2-propanol-water (80:20) for 9, g, h, and i. The amounts of 1, 4, and 6 were determined spectrophotometrically. Yields are based upon consumed 1. 2 The solution was brought to pH 8 and the product isolated by chromatography on Amberlite CG 120 resin. In the case of 6f, a subsequent crystallization from aqueous HC02H was needed. The yields are based upon the starting amounts of 1, and upon 6 isolated. d Where the workup was conducted both by tic and preparatively, the conditions given are those of the preparative reaction.
Product
TABLE I.
(hr)
Vol. 40, No. 4, 1970
sumption 25’)
of cytosine
in
its
at pH 6, and 40 hr,
after led
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
consumption
37”,
of the
to decreased
reaction
yields
(6+ 5 +2 ‘1)
was demonstrated.
a solution for
of
120 hr.
1.3
was allowed
of conditions, with
only
deamination, effects
dimethylamine
side
level,
from it
modification have
been
to
those
synthetic
acids.
Polynucleotides
only
the for
physical
of
Thus,
under
reactions
a variety
of cytidine apart
substances.
from
Steric
a-naphthylamine reactions
and
conducted
with
methylamine.
of this
reaction
possibilities
studies,
at the for
containing
of suitable
introduction
amines.
gave,
of the
and enzymatic
polymerization the
the
with
value
certain
of the
slowness
of nucleic for
to cytosine
or morpholine
failure
of important
chemical
NT - alkylcytosines l2 but
monomers.
“reporter
the
nucleo-
groups”
have
hitherto
The reaction 13,14
into
acids.
of hazard
paper
cytosinc to
to be a mutagen new possibilities
linking
as compared
with
Similarly,
the
the
sequence:
was obtained.
imidazole
up a number
of interest
deamination
damage.
for
obvious
In our previous
genetic
for
generally
by allowing
p-phenylazoaniline fluorescent
of unidentified
I)
the
be of use
nucleic
with
times
or cytidine,
an alkylcytosine
entirely
opens
been preparable may also
with
and also
(Table
Apart
to react
reaction
hr,
6d to react with II NH3 and 5 ml of H,O at pH 7.4, 25’,
(by tic) failed
been responsible
reactions,
of
was produced.
traces
may have
morpholine
cytosine
was 6.5
due to the
was achieved
ml cont.
and cytosine
only
cytosine
conversion
reaction
uracil
u-naphthylamine
2.5
of the
was undoubtedly
This
of
The transamination when cytosine
the
g NaHSOs,
A 74% yield
This
and bisulfite
Prolongation
materials,
of 6.
In one reaction,
aniline
at pH 7.
starting
6 +5 +3 -+4. - I I I
with
The formation of protein
by sodium
X and for
the manner of 6f is _-
and nucleic
that
E. Coli.
in which a model acid
molecules.
a42
catalysis
of the
made the
latter
has subsequently 15,16
The results
bisulfite for
the
bisulfite
Bisulfite
organisms.’
phage for
was suggested
derivatives
living
for
it
a bisulfite Ultraviolet
been shown here
may inflict
a
raise
biological
- catalyzed light
crosshas been
Vol! 4Q, No. 4,197O
shown to link nucleic
BIOCHEMICAL
cysteine
and uracil
acid cross links
of microorganisms
residues
17
RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
, and the resultant
protein
-
are believed
by ultraviolet
6c suggests that bisulfite amines to nucleic
AND BIOPHYSICAL
to be a significant factor in the killing 18 Similarly, the formation of irradiation.
can catalyze
the binding
of carcinogenic
aromatic
acids. 7
Acknowledgements:
We wish to thank the National
Institutes
of Health
(grant
GM-11437) and the Damon Runyon Memorial Fund for Cancer Research
(grant
DRG-976) for their
support.
References 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.
Shapiro, R., Servis, R. E., and Welcher, M., J. Amer. Chem. Sot. 92, 422 (1970). Hayatsu, H., Watayu, Y., and Kai, K., J. Amer. Chem. Sot. 92-, 724 (1970). Shapiro, R., Cohen, B. I., and Servis, R. E., Nature, in press (1970). Phillips, J. H., and Brown, D. M., Progr. Nucleic Acid Res. Mol. Biol. 7 349 (1967). Hayatsu, H., Takeishi, K.-I., and Ukita, T., Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 123, 445 (1966). Kikugawa, K., Hayatsu, H., and Ukita, T., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 134, 221 (1967). Shapiro, R., and Klein, R. S., Biochemistry 5, 3576 (1967). Szer, W., and Shugar, D., Acta Biochim. Pol. 13, 177 (1966). Fox, J. J., Van Praag, D., Wempen, I., Doerr, I. L., Cheong, L., Knoll, J. E., Eidinoff, M. L., Bendich, A., and Brown, G. B., J. Amer. Chem. Sot. t3& 178 (1959). Janion, C., and Shugar, D., Acta Biochim. Pol. Is, 261 (1968). Wempen, I., Duschinsky, R., Kaplan, L., and Fox, J. J., J. Amer. Chem. Sot. 83, 4755 (1961). Brimacombe, R. L. C., and Reese, C. B., J. Mol. Biol. 18, 529 (1966). Burr, M., and Koshland, Jr., D. E., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sx. U. S. 52, 1017 (1964). Hille, M. B., and Koshland, Jr., D. E., J. Amer. Chem. Sot. E, 5745 (1967) Hayatsu, H., and Miura, A., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 39, 156 (1970). Mukai, F., Hawryluk, I., and Shapiro, R., Biochem, Biophys. Res. Commun. 39, 983 (1970). sith, K. C., and Aplin, R. T., Biochemistry 2, 2125 (1966). Smith, K. C., Hodgkins, B., and O'Leary, M. E., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 114, 1 (1966).
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