title: A small DNA restriction fragment with an apparent permanent dipole moment.
abstract: The electric birefringence of two DNA restriction fragments, each containing 147 base-pairs, has been investigated. The decay of the birefringence was the same for the two fragments, with a relaxation time corresponding to the reorientation of fully extended, rod-like molecules. However, the birefringence saturation behavior of the two fragments was markedly different: one fragment oriented by the expected induced-dipole mechanism, while orientation of the other fragment followed the theoretical curve for permanent dipole orientation. This difference in behavior must be due to differences in the base-pair sequences of the two fragments.
mesh_terms: D001482:Base Composition; D001718:Birefringence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D015247:Deoxyribonuclease HindIII; D007700:Kinetics; D010957:Plasmids; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D015247:Deoxyribonuclease HindIII