Divalent transition metal cations counteract potassium-induced quadruplex assembly of oligo(dG) sequences

Nucleic acids containing tracts of contiguous guanines tend to self-associate into four-stranded (quadruplex) structures, based on reciprocal non-Watson-Crick (G*G*G*G) hydrogen bonds. The quadruplex structure is induced/stabilized by monovalent cations, particularly potassium. Using circular dichroism, we have determined that the induction/stabilization of quadruplex structure by K+ is specifically counteracted by low concentrations of Mn2+ (4-10 mM), Co2+ (0.3-2 mM) or Ni2+ (0.3-0.8 mM). G-Tract-containing single strands are also capable of sequence-specific non-Watson-Crick interaction with d(G . C)-tract-containing (target) sequences within double-stranded DNA. The assembly of these G*G . C-based triple helical structures is supported by magnesium, but is potently inhibited by potassium due to sequestration of the G-tract single strand into quadruplex structure. We have used DNase I protection assays to demonstrate that competition between quadruplex self-association and tripler assembly is altered in the presence of Mn2+, Co2+ or Ni2+. By specifically counteracting the induction/stabilization of quadruplex structure by potassium, these divalent transition metal cations allow tripler formation in the presence of K+ and shift the position of equilibrium so that a very high proportion of tripler target sites are bound. Thus, variation of the cation environment can differentially promote the assembly of multistranded nucleic acid structural alternatives.