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. 1982 Sep;79(18):5470–5474. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.18.5470

Map of distamycin, netropsin, and actinomycin binding sites on heterogeneous DNA: DNA cleavage-inhibition patterns with methidiumpropyl-EDTA.Fe(II).

M W Van Dyke, R P Hertzberg, P B Dervan
PMCID: PMC346925  PMID: 6291045

Abstract

We report a direct technique for determining the binding sites of small molecules on naturally occurring heterogeneous DNA. Methidiumpropyl-EDTA.Fe(II) [MPE.Fe(II) cleaves double helical DNA with low sequence specificity. Using a combination of MPE.Fe(II) cleavage of drug-protected DNA fragments and Maxam-Gilbert gel methods of sequence analysis, we have determined the preferred binding sites on a Rsa I-EcoRI restriction fragment from pBR322 for the intercalator actinomycin D and the minor groove binders netropsin and distamycin A. Netropsin and distamycin A gave identical DNA cleavage-inhibition patterns and bound preferentially to A+T-rich regions with a minimal protected site of four base pairs. We were able to observe the effect of increasing concentration on site selection by netropsin and distamycin A. Actinomycin D afforded a completely different cleavage-inhibition pattern, with 4- to 16-base-pair-long protected regions centered around one or more G.C base pairs.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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