Action of bacteriophage T4 ultraviolet endonuclease on duplex DNA containing one ultraviolet irradiated strand

T. J. Simon, C. Allen Smith, E. C. Friedberg

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Previous studies have indicated that the ultraviolet endonuclease of bacteriophage T4 acts specifically at pyrimidine dimer sites in ultraviolet irradiated DNA. At such sites the enzyme could conceivably catalyze endonucleolytic incision of the DNA either on the dimer containing strand or on the strand directly opposite to the dimer. In the present work, a direct test of these alternatives was made. Substrate molecules containing one irradiated and one unirradiated strand were prepared from differentially isotopically labeled purified complementary strands of bacteriophage λDNA. Following incubation with the enzyme, the sedimentation profiles of the DNA strands in alkaline sucrose density gradients were compared. The results show that the enzyme selectivity nicks the irradiated strand.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)8748-8752
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Biological Chemistry
Volume250
Issue number22
StatePublished - 1975

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Action of bacteriophage T4 ultraviolet endonuclease on duplex DNA containing one ultraviolet irradiated strand'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this