title: Unusual helical packing in crystals of DNA bearing a mutation hot spot.
abstract: The target sequence of the restriction enzyme NarI (GGCGCC) is a hot spot for the -2 frameshift mutagenesis (GGCGCC----GGCC) induced by the chemical carcinogens such as N-2-acetyl-aminofluorene. Of the guanine residues, all of which show equal reactivity towards the carcinogen, only binding to the 3'-most proximal guanine within the NarI site is able to trigger the frameshift event. We selected the non-palindromic dodecamer d(ACCGGCGCCACA), whose sequence corresponds to the most mutagenic NarI site in pBR322 DNA; for X-ray structure analysis. Its molecular structure determined at 2.8 A resolution reveals significant deviations from the structure of canonical B-form DNA, with partial opening of three G-C base pairs, high propeller twist values and sequence-dependent three-centred hydrogen bonds. This crystal structure shows a novel kind of packing in which helices are locked together by groove-backbone interactions. The partial opening of G-C base pairs is induced by interactions of phosphate anionic oxygen atoms with the amino group of cytosine bases. This provides a model for close approach of DNA molecules during biological processes, such as recombination.
authors: Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Strasbourg, France.
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Timsit
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Westhof
authors: R P
authors: RP
authors: Fuchs
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Moras
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D010957:Plasmids
chemical_list: D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D004247:DNA; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; C046719:GGCGCC-specific type II deoxyribonucleases