DNA homoduplexes containing no pyrimidine nucleotide

0126933 - BFU-R 20033014 RIV DE eng J - Journal Article
Kypr, Jaroslav - Kejnovská, Iva - Vorlíčková, Michaela
DNA homoduplexes containing no pyrimidine nucleotide.
European Biophysics Journal With Biophysics Letters. Roč. 32, č. 2 (2003), s. 154-158. ISSN 0175-7571. E-ISSN 1432-1017
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA301/01/0590; GA AV ČR IAA4004201
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z5004920
Keywords : adenine * base pairing * circular dichroism spectroscopy
Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics
Impact factor: 1.769, year: 2003

We show using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis that guanine + adenine repeat strands of DNA associate into homoduplexes at neutral pH and moderate ionic strength. The homoduplexes melt in a cooperative way like the Watson-Crick duplex, although they contain no Watson-Crick base pair. Guanine is absolutely needed for the homoduplex formation and the homoduplex stability increases with the guanine content of the repeat. The present results have implications for the nature of the first replicators, as well as regarding forces stabilizing the duplexes of DNA.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0025160