title: Cooperative binding properties of restriction endonuclease EcoRII with DNA recognition sites.
abstract: EcoRII is a member of the expanding group of type IIe restriction endonucleases that share the distinguishing feature of requiring cooperativity between two recognition sites in their substrate DNA. To determine the stoichiometry of the active DNA-enzyme complex and the mode of cooperative interaction, we have investigated the dependence of EcoRII cleavage on the concentration of EcoRII dimers. Maximal restriction was observed at dimer/site ratios of 0.25 and 0. 5. The molecular weight of the DNA-enzyme complex eluted from a gel filtration column also corresponds to a dimeric enzyme structure bound to two substrate sites. We conclude that one EcoRII dimer is sufficient to interact cooperatively with two DNA recognition sites. A Lac repressor "barrier" bound between two normally reactive EcoRII sites did not inhibit restriction endonuclease activity, indicating that cooperativity between EcoRII sites is achieved by bending or looping of the intervening DNA stretch. Comparative cleavage of linear substrates with differently spaced interacting sites revealed an inverse correlation between cleavage rate and site distance. At the optimal distance of one helical turn, EcoRII cleavage is independent of the orientation of the recognition sequence in the DNA double strand.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Virology, Humboldt University Medical School (Charité), D-10098 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reuter
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kupper
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meisel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schroeder
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Krüger
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D056968:Lac Repressors; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D056968:Lac Repressors; C539064:LacI protein, E coli; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C046545:CCWGG-specific type II deoxyribonucleases; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific