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Nucleic Acids Research, 2002, Vol. 30, No. 17 3722-3731
© 2002 Oxford University Press

Polyamine structural effects on the induction and stabilization of liquid crystalline DNA: potential applications to DNA packaging, gene therapy and polyamine therapeutics

M. Saminathan1,4, Thresia Thomas2, Akira Shirahata3, C. K. S. Pillai4 and T. J. Thomas*,1

1 Department of Medicine and 2 Department of Environmental and Community Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA, 3 Department of Biochemistry and Cellular Physiology, Josai University, Saitama, Japan and 4 Polymer Division, Regional Research Laboratory, Trivandrum, India

*To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Department of Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 125 Paterson Street, CAB 7090, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA. Tel: +1 732 235 8460; Fax: +1 732 235 8473; Email: thomastj{at}umdnj.edu

DNA undergoes condensation, conformational transitions, aggregation and resolubilization in the presence of polyamines, positively charged organic molecules present in all cells. Under carefully controlled environmental conditions, DNA can also transform to a liquid crystalline state in vitro. We undertook the present work to examine the ability of spermidine, N4-methylspermidine, spermine, N1-acetylspermine and a group of tetramine, pentamine and hexamine analogs of spermine to induce and stabilize liquid crystalline DNA. Liquid crystalline textures were identified under a polarizing microscope. In the absence of polyamines, calf thymus DNA assumed a diffused, planar cholesteric phase with entrapped bubbles when incubated on a glass slide at 37°C. In the presence of spermidine and spermine, the characteristic fingerprint textures of the cholesteric phase, adopting a hexagonal order, were obtained. The helical pitch was 2.5 µm. The final structures were dendrimeric and crystalline when DNA was treated with spermine homologs and bis(ethyl) derivatives. A cholesteric structure was observed when DNA was treated with a hexamine at 37°C. This structure changed to a hexagonal dendrimer with fluidity on prolonged incubation. These data show a structural specificity effect of polyamines on liquid crystalline phase transitions of DNA and suggest a possible physiological function of natural polyamines.


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