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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1981 Jul;78(7):4011–4015. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.7.4011

Mechanism for transcriptional action of cyclic AMP in Escherichia coli: entry into DNA to disrupt DNA secondary structure.

R H Ebright, J R Wong
PMCID: PMC319715  PMID: 6270652

Abstract

Binding analysis with purified bacterial receptor distinguishes two structural domains in cyclic AMP (cAMP). The first, the cyclic phosphate and furanose, constitutes a binding domain. This region is bound tightly to the receptor. The rest of cAMP is not bound; the adenine moiety of cAMP is exposed. Unlike binding, activity of cAMP requires the adenine moiety. To be active, cAMP must have in domain II the base adenine--specifically, its Watson--Crick atoms N-1 and N-6. Analysis of indoleacetic acid, a compound able to replace cAMP at the L-arabinose operon, indicates a similar distinction between binding and active domains. To be active, the indole must have substitution (carboxyl or amide) electronically comparable to the cAMP N-1 and N-6. On this basis, we propose a detailed mechanism for action of cAMP (or indoleacetic acid) in Escherichia coli. We propose that the exposed adenine of cAMP enters into the DNA. The adenine's N-1 and N-6 form hydrogen bonds to a thymine in DNA. This interaction destabilizes the DNA. It enhances transcription. Marked similarities indicate an identical mechanism for the steroid hormones in eukaryotes.

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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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