title: Nucleosomes, DNA-binding proteins, and DNA sequence modulate retroviral integration target site selection.
abstract: Integration of retroviral DNA can serve as a paradigm for cellular functions that are affected by the packaging of DNA into chromatin. We have used a novel polymerase chain reaction-based assay to survey DNA and chromatin for the precise distribution of many integration sites. Integration into naked DNA targets is non-uniform, implying a nucleotide sequence bias. In chromatin, integration occurs preferentially at positions where the major groove is on the exposed face of the nucleosomal DNA helix, generating a 10 bp periodic spacing of preferred sites. Chromatin assembly enhances the reactivity of many sites, so that integration occurs most frequently at sites in nucleosomal, rather than nucleosome-free, regions of minichromosomes. In contrast, integration is prevented in a region occupied by a site-specific DNA-binding protein. Comparisons of integration events mediated by viral nucleoprotein complexes or by two different retroviral integrases show that the integration machinery also affects target site selection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco 94143.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Pryciak
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Varmus
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009052:Leukemia Virus, Murine / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009707:Nucleosomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016662:Virus Integration / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009707:Nucleosomes; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides