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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 281, Issue 25, 17446-17456, June 23, 2006

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DNA and RNA as New Binding Targets of Green Tea Catechins^*

Takashi Kuzuhara¹, Yoshihisa Sei, Kentaro Yamaguchi, Masami Suganuma^¶, and Hirota Fujiki

From the Laboratory of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokushima Bunri University, Yamashiro-cho, Tokushima 770-8514, Japan, Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kagawa Campus, Tokushima Bunri University, Sanuki-city, Kagawa 769-2193, Japan, and ^¶Research Institute for Clinical Oncology, Saitama Cancer Center, Kitaadachi-gun, Saitama 362-0806, Japan

The significance of catechins, the main constituent of green tea, is being increasingly recognized with regard to cancer prevention. Catechins have been studied for interactions with various proteins, but the mechanisms of the various catechins are not yet elucidated. Based on our previous observation that nucleic acids extracted from catechin-treated cells are colored, we studied whether catechins directly interact with nucleic acids using surface plasmon resonance assay (Biacore) and cold spray ionization-mass spectrometry. These two methods clearly showed that (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) binds to both DNA and RNA molecules: the Biacore assay indicated that four catechins bound to DNA oligomers, and cold spray ionization-mass spectrometry analysis showed one to three EGCG molecules bound to single strand 18 mers of DNA and RNA. Moreover, one or two molecules of EGCG bound to double-stranded (AG-CT) oligomers of various nucleotide lengths. These results suggest that multiple binding sites of EGCG are present in DNA and RNA oligomers. Double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) oligomers were detected only as EGCG-bound forms at high temperature, whereas at low temperature both the free and bound forms were detected, suggesting that EGCG protects dsDNA oligomers from dsDNA melting to single-stranded DNA. Because both galloyl and catechol groups of EGCG are essential for DNA binding, both groups seem to hold strands of DNA via their branching structure. These findings reveal for the first time the link between catechins and polynucleotides and will intensify our understanding of the effects of catechins on DNA in terms of cancer prevention.

Received for publication, February 7, 2006 , and in revised form, April 25, 2006.

^* This work was supported in part by a grant-in-aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Japan and the Smoking Research Fund. The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

¹ To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel.: 81-88-622-9611; Fax: 81-88-655-3051; E-mail: kuzuhara{at}ph.bunri-u.ac.jp.

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