111 S.P. to B. St. Michel

A decapeptide motif for binding to the minor groove of DNA A proposal

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The pentraxin family of pentameric plasma proteins is widely distributed in both vertebrates and invertebrates [l]. In humans one of these proteins, serum amyloid P component (SAP) is the major Ca'+-dependent DNA-binding protein of the serum and, in addition, binds highly specifically to nucleosome core particles [2]. This latter property is shared with histone Hl and it is therefore of interest to determine whether these proteins possess common structural features.

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“…Of the regions conserved within the pentraxin family, two, located at residues 136-145 and 146-158, have been provisionally identified respectively as a nucleotide-binding site and a Ca"-binding loop (Turnell, in preparation). A third region spanning amino acids 123-132 is conserved in those pentraxins that bind to core particles but absent from those, such as Limulus CRP [2], which fail to interact detectably (table 1). This pattern of sequence conservation thus strongly suggests a role for this decapeptide in DNA and for histone recognition.…”

Dissociation of Serum Amyloid P from C4b-Binding Protein and Other Sites by Lactic Acid: Potential Role of Lactic Acid in the Regulation of Pentraxin Function

“…Serum amyloid P1 (SAP) is a member of the pentraxin family of proteins, which also includes C-reactive protein (CRP) [for reviews, see Pepys and Baltz (1983) and Skinner and Cohen (1988)]. While the functions of these proteins are not clearly defined, many known properties of these molecules suggest that they may be involved in various aspects of the immune response.…”

“…Many functions of pentraxins are implied by their interaction properties. For example, SAP will interact with a number of intracellular components, such as anionic phospholipids (Schwalbe et al, 1990(Schwalbe et al, , 1991, DNA, or chromatin (Breathnach et al, 1989;Butler et al, 1990; & Butler, 1987) and may have a role following cell damage. SAP also + Supported by Grant HL15728 from the National Institutes of Health.…”

“…In various pathological states, pentraxins such as human SAP and hamster FP are associated with amyloid deposits (Coe & Ross, 1985;Pepys & Baltz, 1983;Pepys et al, 1979).…”