title: Electron microscopic and physico-chemical studies of DNA complexes with synthetic oligopeptides: binding specificity and DNA compact structures.
abstract: Binding to DNA of two synthetic peptides, Val-Thr-Thr-Val-Val-NH-NH-Dns and Thr-Val-Thr-Lys-Val-Gly-Thr-Lsy-Val-Gly-Thr-Val-Val-NH-NH-Dns (where Dns is a residue of 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid), has been studied by circular dichroism, electron microscopy and fluorescence methods. It has been found that these two peptides can self-associate in aqueous solution as follows from the fact that concentration-dependent changes are observed in the UV absorbance and fluorescence spectra. The two peptides can bind to DNA both in self-associated and monomeric forms. The pentapeptide in the beta-associated form binds more strongly to poly(dG).poly(dC) than to poly[d(A-C)].poly[d(G-T)] and poly(dA).poly(dT) whereas the tridecapeptide exhibits an opposite order of preferences binding more strongly to poly[d(A-C)].poly[d(G-T)] and poly(dA).poly(dT) than to poly(dG).poly(dC). Binding is a cooperative process which is accompanied by the DNA compaction at peptide/DNA base pair ratios greater than 1. At the initial stage of the compaction process, the coalescence of DNA segments covered by bound peptide molecules leads to the formation of DNA loops stabilized by the interaction between peptide molecules bound to different DNA segments. Further increase in the peptide/DNA ratio leads to the formation of rod-like structures each consisting of two or more double-stranded DNA segments. The final stage of the compaction process involves folding of fibrillar macromolecular complexes into a globular structure containing only one DNA molecule.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Molecular Biology, USSR Ministry of Health, Moscow.
authors.forename: Y Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Vengerov
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Semenov
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Surovaya
authors.lastname: Sidorova NYu
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Streltsov
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Khorlin
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Zhuze
authors.forename: G V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Gursky
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002627:Chemistry, Physical; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000378:metabolism; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D012996:Solutions; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D009842:Oligopeptides; D012996:Solutions; D004247:DNA