The role of spatial arrangement of aromatic rings on the binding of N,N′-diheteroaryl guanidine ligands to the G2C4/G2C4 motif DNA

Abstract

Non-canonical DNA structures formed by aberrantly expanded repeat DNA are implicated in promoting repeat instability and the onset of repeat expansion diseases. Small molecules that target these disease-causing repeat DNAs hold promise as therapeutic agents for such diseases. Specifically, 1,3-di(quinolin-2-yl)guanidine (DQG) has been identified to bind to the disease-causing GGCCCC (G2C4) repeat DNA associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD). In this study, we investigate the structure-binding relationships between DQG analogs and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) containing a G2C4/G2C4 unit. Our findings, derived from UV melting temperature, circular dichroism spectra, and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analyses of DQG analogs, highlight the crucial role of the spatial arrangements of aromatic rings in binding to the G2C4/G2C4 unit. Among the tested DQG analogs, N,N′-di(quinazolin-2-yl)guanidine (DQzG) stands out for its ability to form seven planar conformers. These conformers enable ADD–DAA hydrogen bonding with cytosine and multiple spatial arrangements of aromatic rings, including those resembling DQG. Our binding analyses revealed that DQzG exhibits the highest affinity binding for the G2C4/G2C4 unit. NMR analysis of the DQzG-bound G2C4/G2C4-dsDNA further suggested that DQzG binds to the G2C4/G2C4 unit via hydrogen bonding. Moreover, SPR analysis demonstrated that DQzG binds more strongly to G2C4 repeat DNA compared to DQG. These results position DQzG as a promising lead compound for targeting the G2C4 repeat, offering potential therapeutic avenues for the treatment of ALS/FTD and other repeat expansion diseases.