Hairpin formation within the enhancer region of the human enkephalin gene
- Oregon Health Sciences Univ., Portland (United States)
- Georgia State Univ., Atlanta (United States)
The 3{prime},5{prime}-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-inducible enhancer of the human enkephaline gene is located within an imperfect palindrom of 23 base pairs. The authors have found that a 23-base-pair oligonucleotide duplex containing the enhancer undergoes a reversible conformational transition from the duplex to two individual hairpin structures each formed from one strand of the duplex. Each individual hairpin forms with mismatched base pairs, one containing two GT pairs and the other containing two AC pairs. The conformational transition is stabilized by proton transfer to the hairpin containing AC mismatched pairs. The unique physical and thermodynamic properties of the enkephalin enhancer DNA suggest a model in which DNA secondary structure within the enhancer region plays and active role incAMP-inducible activation of the human enkephalin gene via formation of cruciform structures.
- OSTI ID:
- 5016314
- Journal Information:
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (United States), Vol. 88:2; ISSN 0027-8424
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
DNA
THERMAL ANALYSIS
GENES
MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
ELECTROPHORESIS
ENKEPHALINS
MAN
PHOSPHORUS 32
TRANSCRIPTION
ANIMALS
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DRUGS
ENDORPHINS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MAMMALS
NEUROREGULATORS
NUCLEI
NUCLEIC ACIDS
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PEPTIDES
PHOSPHORUS ISOTOPES
POLYPEPTIDES
PRIMATES
PROTEINS
RADIOISOTOPES
VERTEBRATES
550201* - Biochemistry- Tracer Techniques