Open AccessSequence-specific cleavage of single-stranded DNA: oligodeoxynucleotide-EDTA X Fe(II).
Author(s) -
Geoffrey B. Dreyer,
Peter B. Dervan
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.82.4.968
Subject(s) - dithiothreitol , cleavage (geology) , dna , pbr322 , nucleotide , chemistry , thymidine , base pair , bond cleavage , microbiology and biotechnology , stereochemistry , plasmid , biology , biochemistry , enzyme , gene , paleontology , fracture (geology) , catalysis
The synthesis of a DNA hybridization probe 19 nucleotides in length, equipped with the metal chelator EDTA at C-5 of thymidine in position 10 (indicated by T*) is described. DNA-EDTA 1 has the sequence 5'-T-A-A-C-G-C-A-G-T*-C-A-G-G-C-A-C-C-G-T-3', which is complementary to a 19-nucleotide sequence in the plasmid pBR322. In the presence of Fe(II), O2, and dithiothreitol, DNA-EDTA 1 affords specific cleavage (25 degrees C, pH 7.4, 60 min) at its complementary sequence in a heat-denatured 167-base-pair restriction fragment. Cleavage occurs over a range of 16 nucleotides at the site of hybridization of 1, presumably due to a diffusible reactive species. No other cleavage sites are observed in the 167-base-pair restriction fragment. The procedure used to synthesize DNA-EDTA probes is based on the incorporation of a thymidine modified at C-5 with the triethyl ester of EDTA. By using routine phosphoramidite procedures, thymidine-EDTA can be incorporated into oligodeoxynucleotides of any desired length and sequence. Because the efficiency of the DNA cleavage reaction is dependent on the addition of both Fe(II) and reducing agent (dithiothreitol), the initiation of the cleavage reaction can be controlled. These DNA-EDTA X Fe(II) probes should be useful for the sequence-specific cleavage of single-stranded DNA (and most likely RNA) under mild conditions.