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Low dose dimethyl sulfoxide driven gross molecular changes have the potential to interfere with various cellular
Sinem Tunçer1,2, Rafig Gurbanov3, Ilir Sheraj1
1Department of Biological Sciences, Orta Dogu Teknik Universitesi (ODTU/METU), Ankara, 06800, Turkey.
Scientific Reports
|October 6, 2018
Summary
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), a common solvent, alters cellular macromolecules even at low concentrations. This study reveals DMSO induces changes in proteins and DNA, including Z-DNA formation, impacting experimental results.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
- Spectroscopy
Background:
- Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a widely used polar, aprotic solvent in medical and research applications.
- Understanding DMSO's cellular effects at common vehicle concentrations (0.1-1.5%) is crucial for interpreting experimental outcomes.
- Epithelial colon cancer cells were used to investigate DMSO's impact on cellular macromolecules.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cellular effects of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on epithelial colon cancer cells at concentrations typically used as a vehicle.
- To analyze alterations in cellular macromolecules, including proteins and nucleic acids, induced by DMSO treatment.
- To explore the potential formation and stabilization of Z-DNA in DMSO-treated cells.
Main Methods:
- Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was employed to analyze DMSO-treated and untreated cells.
- Unsupervised (Principal Component Analysis-PCA) and supervised (Linear Discriminant Analysis-LDA) algorithms were used for pattern recognition in IR data.
- Molecular docking and binding free energy studies were conducted to investigate DMSO's interaction with Z-DNA.
Main Results:
- ATR-FT-IR spectroscopy and pattern recognition revealed significant differences between DMSO-treated and untreated cells across lipid, nucleic acid, and whole-cell regions.
- Comprehensive alterations in protein and nucleic acid profiles were observed, with a shift in protein secondary structure towards β-sheet predominance.
- A reduction in nucleic acid levels and the novel observation of Z-DNA formation, stabilized by DMSO, were detected.
Conclusions:
- Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) induces significant molecular changes in cellular macromolecules, including proteins and nucleic acids, even at low concentrations.
- The formation and stabilization of Z-DNA by DMSO suggest potential impacts on gene expression, differentiation, and epigenetic modifications.
- These findings highlight the importance of considering DMSO's solvent effects on experimental results in biological research.
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