Observation of non-covalent interactions between beauvericin and oligonucleotides using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry has been used to study the possible non-covalent interaction between oligonucleotides and beauvericin (B) mycotoxin. Beauvericin-oligonucleotide adduct formation was observed even at low mycotoxin concentration (25pmol/mu L). Adducts were found with different numbers of B ligands attached. The selectivity of binding of B ligands to two different oligonucleotides has been shown to be similar indicating that beauvericin does not have a strongly preferred base sequence or base site in the DNA. In a competitive complexation reaction, beauvericin forms specific adducts with oligonucleotide while another mycotoxin, nigeromicin, which causes apoptosis without fragmentation of DNA, does not.