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ATP/ADP switches the higher‐order structure of DNA in the presence of spermidine
Author(s) -
Makita Naoko,
Yoshikawa Kenichi
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(99)01368-x
Subject(s) - spermidine , polyamine , dna , atp hydrolysis , biochemistry , chemistry , folding (dsp implementation) , biophysics , microbiology and biotechnology , enzyme , biology , atpase , electrical engineering , engineering
In the living cellular environment, DNAs exist in a compact state in the presence of a polyamine, such as spermidine. We found that the hydrolysis of ATP into ADP induces the folding of elongated DNAs, by the single‐chain observation of individual T4 DNA molecules. This result is discussed in relation to the possible role of ATP as a regulatory factor in genetic activity, in addition to its well‐established role as an energy source.