PMID: 20026584 , Related PDB id: 3KUY
Authors:
Davey GE, Wu B, Dong Y, Surana U, Davey CA
Title:
DNA stretching in the nucleosome facilitates alkylation by an intercalating antitumour agent.
Journal:
Nucleic Acids Res. 2010 Apr;38(6):2081-8. Epub 2009 Dec 21.
Abstract:
DNA stretching in the nucleosome core can cause dramatic structural distortions, which may influence compaction and factor recognition in chromatin. We find that the base pair unstacking arising from stretching-induced extreme minor groove kinking near the nucleosome centre creates a hot spot for intercalation and alkylation by a novel anticancer compound. This may have far reaching implications for how chromatin structure can influence binding of intercalator species and indicates potential for the development of site selective DNA-binding agents that target unique conformational features of the nucleosome.