title: Studies on the arrangement of DNA inside viruses using a breakable bis-psoralen crosslinker.
abstract: We have developed a new DNA-DNA crosslinking strategy based on a cleavable bispsoralen reagent and used this strategy to study the structures of bacteriophage lambda and the animal virus SV40. Our results show that in both lambda and SV40, all restriction fragments examined can be crosslinked to all other restriction fragments. In bacteriophage lambda, the crosslinking data are consistent with a random packaging model, while in SV40 there is some deviation from the random model. These results imply that the structures of DNA inside these viruses are either highly disordered or very complex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Welsh
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Cantor
mesh_terms: D010582:Bacteriophage lambda / Q000032:analysis*; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004279:DNA, Viral; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D011564:Furocoumarins; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D013539:Simian virus 40 / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D004279:DNA, Viral; D011564:Furocoumarins; C054660:dithiobis(ethylmethylamidoethylmethylaminomethyl-2,5,9-trimethylpsoralen); D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes