title: Specific interaction of mutant p53 with regions of matrix attachment region DNA elements (MARs) with a high potential for base-unpairing.
abstract: Mutant, but not wild-type p53 binds with high affinity to a variety of MAR-DNA elements (MARs), suggesting that MAR-binding of mutant p53 relates to the dominant-oncogenic activities proposed for mutant p53. MARs recognized by mutant p53 share AT richness and contain variations of an AATATATTT "DNA-unwinding motif," which enhances the structural dynamics of chromatin and promotes regional DNA base-unpairing. Mutant p53 specifically interacted with MAR-derived oligonucleotides carrying such unwinding motifs, catalyzing DNA strand separation when this motif was located within a structurally labile sequence environment. Addition of GC-clamps to the respective MAR-oligonucleotides or introducing mutations into the unwinding motif strongly reduced DNA strand separation, but supported the formation of tight complexes between mutant p53 and such oligonucleotides. We conclude that the specific interaction of mutant p53 with regions of MAR-DNA with a high potential for base-unpairing provides the basis for the high-affinity binding of mutant p53 to MAR-DNA.
authors.affiliation: Heinrich-Pette-Institut für Experimentelle Virologie und Immunologie an der Universität Hamburg, Martinistrasse 52, D-20251 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Will
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Warnecke
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wiesmüller
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Deppert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020029:Base Pairing; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D011485:Protein Binding; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D004247:DNA