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. 1994 Sep 15;13(18):4353–4360. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1994.tb06755.x

A new protein domain for binding to DNA through the minor groove.

R Freire 1, M Salas 1, J M Hermoso 1
PMCID: PMC395362  PMID: 7925279

Abstract

Protein p6 of the Bacillus subtilis phage phi 29 binds with low sequence specificity to DNA through the minor groove, forming a multimeric nucleoprotein complex that activates the initiation of phi 29 DNA replication. Deletion analysis suggested that the N-terminal part of protein p6, predicted to form an amphipathic alpha-helix, is involved in DNA binding. We have constructed site-directed mutants at the polar side of the putative alpha-helix. DNA binding and activation of initiation of phi 29 DNA replication were impaired in most of the mutant proteins obtained. A 19 amino acid peptide comprising the N-terminus of protein p6 interacted with a DNA fragment containing high-affinity signals for protein p6 binding with approximately 50-fold higher affinity than the peptide corresponding to an inactive mutant. Both wild-type peptide and protein p6 recognized the same sequences in this DNA fragment. This result, together with distamycin competition experiments, suggested that the wild-type peptide also binds to DNA through the minor groove. In addition, CD spectra of the wild-type peptide showed an increase in the alpha-helical content when bound to DNA. All these results indicate that an alpha-helical structure located in the N-terminal region of protein p6 is involved in DNA binding through the minor groove.

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