Torus-shaped particles formed due to intermolecular condensation of circular DNA upon interaction with synthetic tripeptide

• Published in: FEBS letters Vol. 180; no. 1; pp. 81 - 84
• Main Authors: Vengerov, Y.Y., Semenov, T.E., Streltsov, S.A., Makarov, V.L., Khorlin, A.A., Gursky, G.V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 21.01.1985; Elsevier
• Subjects: 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonic group; Biological and medical sciences; Circular DNA condensation; DNA; DNA, Circular - metabolism; DNA, Viral - metabolism; Dns; Electron microscopy; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Mathematics; Microscopy, Electron; Molecular biophysics; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Oligopeptides - metabolism; Plasmids; Structure in molecular biology; Supramolecular structure; Synthetic tripeptide; Torus-shaped particle; Synthetic tripeptide; Dns; Circular DNA condensation; Torus-shaped particle; Electron microscopy; 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonic group; Molecular arrangement; Chromosome condensation; Tripeptide; Molecular interaction; Models; Circular DNA; Condensation
• ISSN: 0014-5793; 1873-3468
• DOI: 10.1016/0014-5793(85)80236-2

The morphology of complexes between relaxed circular plasmid pBR322 DNA and tripeptide L-Val-L-Val-L-Val-NH-NH-Dns (TVP) at different peptide/DNA ratios was studied by electron microscopy. The results show that interaction of TVP with circular DNA leads to the formation of perfect torus-shaped particles. The torus parameter measurements offer the possibility to conclude that DNA condensation observed is of intermolecular nature. On the basis of the analysis of the structures corresponding to the early stages of DNA compaction the model for intermolecular condensation of circular DNA into torus-shaped particles is proposed.