Oligonucleotide clamps arrest DNA synthesis on a single-stranded DNA target

Triple helices can be formed on single-stranded oligopurine target sequences by composite oligonucleotides consisting of two oligonucleotides covalently linked by either a hexaethylene glycol linker or an oligonucleotide sequence. The first oligomer forms Watson-Crick base pairs with the target, while the second oligomer engages in Hoogsteen base pairing, thereby acting as a molecular clamp. The triple-helical complex formed by such an oligonucleotide clamp, or "oligonucleotide-loop-oligonucleotide" (OLO), is more stable than either the corresponding trimolecular triple helix or the double helix formed upon binding of the oligopyrimidine complement to the same oligopurine target. Attaching a psoralen derivative to the 5' end of the OLO allowed us to photoinduce a covalent linkage to the target sequence. The psoralen moiety became covalently linked to all three portions of the triplex, thereby making the oligonucleotide clamp irreversible. These crosslinking reactions introduced strong stop signals during DNA replication, as shown on a plasmid containing a portion of the HIV proviral sequence of human immunodeficiency virus. A 16-mer oligopurine sequence corresponding to the "polypurine tract" of human immunodeficiency virus was chosen as a target for a psoralen-OLO conjugate. Three different stop signals for DNA polymerase were observed, corresponding to different sites of polymerase arrest on its template. Even in the absence of photoinduced crosslinking, the psoralen-OLO conjugate was able to arrest DNA replication. The formation of triple-helical structures on single-stranded targets may provide an alternative to the antisense strategy for the control of gene expression.