Site of azido substitution in the sugar moiety of azidopyrimidine nucleosides influences the reactivity of aminyl radicals formed by dissociative electron attachment

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c08201

In this work, electron-induced site-specific formation of neutral π-type aminyl radicals (RNH·) and their reactions with pyrimidine nucleoside analogs azidolabeled at various positions in the sugar moiety, e.g., at 2′-, 3′-, 4′-, and 5′- sites along with a model compound 3-azido-1-propanol (3AZPrOH), were investigated. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies confirmed the site and mechanism of RNH· formation via dissociative electron attachment-mediated loss of N₂ and subsequent facile protonation from the solvent employing the ¹⁵N-labeled azido group, deuterations at specific sites in the sugar and base, and changing the solvent from H₂O to D₂O. Reactions of RNH· were investigated employing EPR by warming these samples from 77 K to ca. 170 K. RNH· at a primary carbon site (5′-azido-2′,5′-dideoxyuridine, 3AZPrOH) facilely converted to a σ-type iminyl radical (R=N·) via a bimolecular H-atom abstraction forming an α-azidoalkyl radical. RNH· when at a secondary carbon site (e.g., 2′-azido-2′-deoxyuridine) underwent bimolecular electrophilic addition to the C5=C6 double bond of a proximate pyrimidine base. Finally, RNH· at tertiary alkyl carbon (4′-azidocytidine) underwent little reaction. These results show the influence of the stereochemical and electronic environment on RNH· reactivity and allow the selection of those azidonucleosides that would be most effective in augmenting cellular radiation damage.