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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
. 1992 Dec 1;89(23):11406–11410. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.23.11406

Intramolecular DNA triplexes: unusual sequence requirements and influence on DNA polymerization.

A Dayn 1, G M Samadashwily 1, S M Mirkin 1
PMCID: PMC50559  PMID: 1454828

Abstract

Homopurine-homopyrimidine mirror repeats are known to form intramolecular DNA triplexes in vitro. By probing with chemical agents specific for unusual DNA conformations, we have now demonstrated the formation of intramolecular triplexes consisting of G.G.C and T.A.T base triplets by DNA sequences that are neither homopurine-homopyrimidine nor mirror repeats. This finding significantly enlarges the number of sequences that could form DNA triplexes. The observed triplexes are stable under the conditions that are optimal for DNA polymerases in vitro. We found that triplex formation causes specific termination of DNA polymerization in vitro. This effect is detected for different DNA polymerases and may have implications for the regulation of DNA replication in vivo.

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Selected References

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