Molecular Structure of Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid and Nucleoprotein

Feughelman, M.; Langridge, Robert; Seeds, W. E.; Stokes, A. R.; Wilson, H. R.; Hooper, Claudie; Wilkins, M. H. F.; Barclay, Ralph K.; Hamilton, L. D.

doi:10.1038/175834a0

Cited by 263 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…X-ray patterns of oriented fibers prepared from salmon sperm heads, isolated nucleoprotamine, and complexes of DNA with polylysine and polyarginine measured in different humidity suggest that these polypeptides lie between DNA molecules, crosslink them, and may be wrapped around DNA in or above its minor groove [1,4]. Our data and that of laser Raman spectroscopy [32] are not consistent with the model in which protamine, polyarginine or polylysine lie in the minor groove.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 56%

Protein Arrangement in the DNA Grooves in Chromatin and Nucleoprotamine in vitro and in vivo Revealed by Methylation

Mirzabekov¹,

San'ko²,

Kolchinsky³

et al. 1977

Eur J Biochem

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The influence of histones, protamine, and some polypeptides bound to DNA on the methylation with [3H]dimethyl sulfate of the N-7 atom of guanine in the major groove, and the N-3 atom of adenine in the minor groove of DNA double helix has been studied. The effect on the methylation pattern of the primary and secondary structure of DNA has also been investigated.The comparative kinetic measurements of methylation of DNA and chromatin in the presence of dGMP as an internal standard has been studied. It has been shown that the presence of histones in chromatin causes a rather small effect on methylation of the DNA grooves: histones leave the minor groove well exposed and shield the major groove of DNA against methylation only by 14%.The increase in the velocity of DNA methylation in ice at -10 "C has been demonstrated. The methylation of ascites tumor cells and fish sperm in the frozen state, when the excision of the methylated bases by repair enzyme is repressed, allowed testing of the chromatin and nucleoprotamine structure directly in the cells. At -10 "C in these cells, as well as in isolated chromatin, histones and protamine preferentially shield the major groove of DNA to the same extent (14-21 %). Histones and protamine appear therefore to interact with DNA in a similar way in vitro and in vivo.The results of these studies suggest that histones and protaniine seem to lie mainly outside the DNA grooves, do not occupy the minor groove and are only partly buried in the major groove. This may make the DNA grooves, especially the minor one, well exposed and accessible to specific interaction of DNA in chromatin with other proteins. DNA in chromosomes of eukaryotic cells is complexed with histones (in somatic cells) or protamine (in the sperm of fish and some birds) mainly through salt linkages between the phosphates of DNA and the basic amino acids (lysine and arginine) of proteins. In chromatin and nucleoprotamine, DNA is probably present in the B conformation, or a very similar one Considerable interest has centered for a long time on the question of in which groove of DNA do histones and protamines lie? Soon after the discovery of the DNA double helix, Feughelman et a/. [l] and later Suwalsky and Traub [4], on the basis of X-ray diffraction studies, suggested that protamine is wrapped around DNA in, or over, the minor groove. By model building, Zubay and Doty [6] showed that [l -51.Ahhrc4arion.s. dGMP, 2'-deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate; dAMP, 2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-monophosphate; MezSO4, dimethyl sullate; cetavlon, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide; m7G, 7-methyl-guanine; m3A, 3-methyl-adenine; ,'A, 1-methyl-adenine.histones in the a-helix configuration fit to the major groove and on this basis several models of nucleohistone structure were constructed [7-91. At the same time there were suggestions that histones may occupy the minor groove of DNA as well [lo]. The study of the interaction of reporter molecules [ l l ] and antibiotics netropsin and distamycin A [12], which were believed to occupy the minor groove ...

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 56%

Protein Arrangement in the DNA Grooves in Chromatin and Nucleoprotamine in vitro and in vivo Revealed by Methylation

Mirzabekov¹,

San'ko²,

Kolchinsky³

et al. 1977

Eur J Biochem

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The B Configuration.--In a general way the structure (See Table I, and Fig. 3) resembles that of Crick and Watson (7), and is a refined form of the structure previously described by us (4). To fit the x-ray data, the atoms in the helix need to be placed on the whole as close as possible to the helix axis, and to help achieve this we have placed the base-pairs so that the helix axis passes centrally through each pair.…”

supporting

confidence: 62%

Molecular Structure of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (Dna)

Langridge

Seeds

Wilson

et al. 1957

The Journal of Cell Biology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although DNA is associated with complex biological phenomena and has many physicochemical properties not easily explained, there is no doubt that the molecule consists to a large extent of the regular, and in some ways simple structure (1-3), derived from x-ray diffraction. We will describe here briefly new data on the structure-the x-ray diffraction measurements and molecular model building being much more exact than in our previous publications (4, 5).The DNA molecule has internal flexibility which enables the helical structure in the solid state to be twisted into either of two well defined configurations or changed reversibly from one to the other, e.g. (6). Proof of the correctness of the structure is doubly convincing because DNA can be studied in these two different forms. This proof resides in the fact that, with a base pairing of the Watson and Crick type (7), the helical structure may be arranged in these two ways, each of which is in agreement with the corresponding diffraction data.We have already published some data on the B configuration (4) and discussed the nature of the A configuration (5). Here we give a preliminary account of more accurate data for both the B and A configuration. The procedure in this work is to build molecular models making use of interatomic bond lengths and angles obtained from measurements on relatively simple compounds and to calculate the x-ray diffraction intensities expected from such a structure. The model is then adjusted until the calculated diffraction corresponds with the measured x-ray intensities. The B Configuration of the DNA Molecule:When bound to protein in cells, DNA molecules exist in the B configuration (4).

show abstract

“…These are (1) non-specific "adsorption " to the external surface of the stacked bases (Feughelman, Langridge, Seeds, Stockes, Wilson, Hooper, Wilkins, Barclay and Hamilton, 1955); (2) interaction with planar purine bases in regions where they are not involved in the double-helix (i.e. a similar interaction to that observed in simple aqueous purine solutions by Weil-Malherbe, 1946, andGreen, 1962); (3) intercalation between base-pairs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Interaction of Polycyclic Hydrocarbons and Nucleic Acids

Boyland¹,

Green²

1962

Br J Cancer

139

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

THE present study is concerned with the discovery that the carcinogenic hydrocarbon benzo(a)pyrene (3,4-benzopyrene) is more soluble in aqueous DNA solutions than in water (Booth, Boyland, Manson and Wiltshire, 1951). A subsequent quantitative study of the solubility of various nitrogen-containing polycyclic carcinogens (dibenzocarbazoles and dibenzacridines) in aqueous DNA solutions revealed a similar reaction with DNA (Booth and Boyland, 1953). The binding to nucleic acids and polynucleotides of various planar dye molecules [in particular the acridine dyes, acridine orange (e.g. Steiner and Beers, 1959;Bradley and Felsenfeld, 1959), acriflavine (Oster, 1951; Heilweil and Van WVinkle, 1955) and proflavine (Peacocke and Skerrett, 1956;Lerman, 1961)] has been investigated in many laboratories and there has been a recent report of the interaction of purine derivatives themselves with nucleic acids (Ts'o, Helmkamp and Sander, 1962).Almost all the planar molecules for which binding to nucleic acids has been demonstrated, contain hetero-atoms or groups which could provide specific binding sites. The polycycic hydrocarbons have no such groups, so that the binding of these molecules to nucleic acids is of particular interest quite apart from the obvious implications for the carcinogenic action of certain types. The interaction of the carcinogenic benzo(a)pyrene and non-carcinogenic pyrene with nucleic acids has therefore been investigated in more detail. EXPERIMENTAL MaterialsThe polycyclic hydrocarbons were those described previously (Boyland and Green, 1962).The nucleic acids were provided bv Professor J. A. V. Butler and Dr. K. S. Kirby. They were in the form of the sodium salts and a 0 05 per cent solution of DNA in water had a sodium ion concentration of about 0.001, which would protect it against spontaneous denaturation. The solutions referred to as 0 05 per cent are based upon the weight of DNA as supplied-without correction for bound water. (The DNA sample used for most experiments had a nitrogen content of 12 per cent and phosphorus content of 6-95 per cent.) Glass-distilled water was used throughout this work.Estimation of solubility of hydrocarbons in nucleic acid solutions Excess solid hydrocarbon was shaken with the 0 05 per cent nucleic acid solution for 16 hr. (overnight) at room temperature (-... 220 C.) in light-shielded flasks.

show abstract

Molecular Structure of Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid and Nucleoprotein

Cited by 263 publications

References 19 publications

Protein Arrangement in the DNA Grooves in Chromatin and Nucleoprotamine in vitro and in vivo Revealed by Methylation

Protein Arrangement in the DNA Grooves in Chromatin and Nucleoprotamine in vitro and in vivo Revealed by Methylation

Molecular Structure of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (Dna)

The Interaction of Polycyclic Hydrocarbons and Nucleic Acids

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About