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. 1989 Jun;86(11):3968–3972. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.11.3968

Binding of actinomycin D to DNA: evidence for a nonclassical high-affinity binding mode that does not require GpC sites.

J G Snyder 1, N G Hartman 1, B L D'Estantoit 1, O Kennard 1, D P Remeta 1, K J Breslauer 1
PMCID: PMC287369  PMID: 2726760

Abstract

We have employed a combination of temperature-dependent UV absorption spectroscopy, circular dichroism, and batch calorimetry to characterize the binding of actinomycin D to a series of oligomeric DNA duplexes. We find the duplex [d(CGTCGACG)]2 to be unique in its ability to bind actinomycin D strongly despite the absence of a classic GpC site. We present evidence that this non-GpC-containing duplex binds two actinomycin D molecules in an apparently cooperative manner to form a complex that exhibits aberrant spectroscopic and calorimetric behavior. We propose that these observations are consistent with actinomycin D exhibiting a high-affinity, sequence-dependent DNA-binding mode distinct from its classic binding to isolated GpC sites.

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Selected References

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