title: MyoD binds to the guanine tetrad nucleic acid structure.
abstract: A high affinity interaction between a protein and the guanine tetrad nucleic acid structure is described. Recombinant MyoD, a transcription factor that can initiate myogenesis, specifically bound to helical structures formed by stacks of guanine residues in square planar arrays. The N-7 methylation of a set of consecutive dG residues in a single-stranded probe of the creatine kinase enhancer interfered with the formation of this nucleic acid structure and prevented protein binding. Recombinant MyoD also bound to a guanine tetrad formed with a telomeric DNA probe, and it had a higher affinity for the four-stranded structure than for the double-stranded E-box-binding site. These data are the first report of a direct interaction between a protein and this nucleic acid conformation. The potential biological significance of this finding is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gualberto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000235:genetics; D015342:DNA Probes; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D006147:Guanine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008745:Methylation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017570:MyoD Protein; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D013768:Tetrahymena / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D017570:MyoD Protein; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D006147:Guanine; D003402:Creatine Kinase