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. 1990 Aug 1;269(3):679–684. doi: 10.1042/bj2690679

Purification of overexpressed gam gene protein from bacteriophage Mu by denaturation-renaturation techniques and a study of its DNA-binding properties.

Z H Abraham 1, N Symonds 1
PMCID: PMC1131641  PMID: 2167662

Abstract

Recombinant Mu gam gene protein (Mu GAM) synthesized in Escherichia coli accumulates in the form of insoluble inclusion bodies which, after cell lysis and low-speed centrifugation, can be recovered in the pellet fraction. This property was utilized in a purification procedure for Mu GAM based on guanidine hydrochloride denaturation-renaturation followed by a single DEAE-cellulose chromatographic step. The purified Mu GAM was shown by nitrocellulose-filter-binding experiments to bind with high affinity to linear double-stranded DNA and more weakly to supercoiled and single-stranded forms. Mu GAM protects linear DNA from degradation by a variety of exonucleases, but only weakly inhibits endonuclease activity. These results are in accord with a model of Mu GAM conferring protection from exonuclease activity by binding to the ends of DNA.

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Selected References

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