Preferential site-dependent cleavage by restriction endonuclease PstI

First-tier detection of intragenomic 16S rRNA gene variation in culturable endophytic bacteria from cacao seeds

Background

Intragenomic variability in 16S rDNA is a limiting factor for taxonomic and diversity characterization of Bacteria, and studies on its occurrence in natural/environmental populations are scarce. In this work, direct DNA amplicon sequencing coupled with frequent-cutter restriction analysis allowed detection of intragenomic 16S rDNA variation in culturable endophytic bacteria from cacao seeds in a fast and attractive manner.

Methods

Total genomic DNA from 65 bacterial strains was extracted and the 16S rDNA hyper variable V5-V9 regions were amplified for enzyme digestion and direct Sanger-type sequencing. The resulting electropherograms were visually inspected and compared to the corresponding AluI-restriction profiles, as well as to complete genome sequences in databases. Restriction analysis were employed to substitute the need of amplicon cloning and re-sequencing. A specifically improved polyacrylamide-gradient electrophoresis allowed to resolve 5-bp differences in restriction fragment sizes. Chi-square analysis on 2 × 2 contingency table tested for the independence between the 'number of AluI bands' and 'type of eletropherogram'.

Results

Two types of electropherograms were obtained: unique template, with single peaks per base (clean chromatograms), and heterogeneous template, with various levels of multiple peaks per base (mixed chromatograms). Statistics revealed significant interaction between number of restriction fragments and type of electropherogram for the same amplicons: clean or mixed ones associated to ≤5 or ≥6 bands, respectively. The mixed-template pattern combined with the AluI-restriction profiles indicated a high proportion of 49% of the culturable endophytes from a tropical environment showing evidence of intragenomic 16S rDNA heterogeneity.

Conclusion

The approach presented here was useful for a rapid, first-tier detection of intragenomic variation in culturable isolates, which can be applied in studies of other natural populations; a preliminary view of intragenomic heterogeneity levels can complement culture-dependent and -independent methods. Consequences of these findings in taxonomic and diversity studies in complex bacterial communities are discussed.

Structural peculiarities of linear megaplasmid, pLMA1, from Micrococcus luteus interfere with pyrosequencing reads assembly

Different strains of Micrococcus luteus, isolated from high-altitude Argentinean wetlands, were recently reported to harbour the linear plasmids pLMA1, pLMH5 and pLMV7, all of which with 5′-covalently attached terminal proteins. The link between pLMA1 and the host’s erythromycin resistance as well as further presumptive qualities prompted us to perform a detailed characterization. When the 454 technology was applied for direct sequencing of gel-purified pLMA1, assembly of the reads was impossible. However, combined Sanger/454 sequencing of cloned pLMA1 fragments, covering altogether 23 kb of the 110-kb spanning plasmid, allowed numerous sequence repeats of varying in lengths to be identified thus rendering an explanation for the above 454 assembly failure. A large number of putative transposase genes were identified as well. Furthermore, a region with five putative iteron sequences is possibly involved in pLMA1 replication.

Cleavage of adenine-modified functionalized DNA by type II restriction endonucleases

A set of 6 base-modified 2'-deoxyadenosine derivatives was incorporated to diverse DNA sequences by primer extension using Vent (exo-) polymerase and the influence of the modification on cleavage by diverse restriction endonucleases was studied. While 8-substituted (Br or methyl) adenine derivatives were well tolerated by the restriction enzymes and the corresponding sequences were cleaved, the presence of 7-substituted 7-deazaadenine in the recognition sequence resulted in blocking of cleavage by some enzymes depending on the nature and size of the 7-substituent. All sequences with modifications outside of the recognition sequence were perfectly cleaved by all the restriction enzymes. The results are useful both for protection of some sequences from cleavage and for manipulation of functionalized DNA by restriction cleavage.

Betaine improved restriction digestion

Here we report that supplementation of a common compound betaine (1-carboxy-N,N,N-trimethylmethanaminium inner salt) enhances restriction digestion of DNA molecules being resistant to digestion despite the existence of recognition sites. A previous study reported total isostabilization of DNA was achieved in the presence of 5.2M of betaine, however, we have observed the enhancement of restriction kinetics at 0.3M of betaine, therefore, it likely provided some catalytic proficiency to restriction enzymes rather than the induction of DNA conformational changes. Betaine also enhances catalytic efficiency of PCR, and our result of restriction digestion, taken together, suggests potential application of betaine in other enzymatic reactions in an aqueous solution.

Quantitative assessment of heteroplasmy levels in Senecio vulgaris chloroplast DNA

Heteroplasmy in coding chloroplast DNA was only recently shown to occur and was so far not quantitatively assessed. We present a quantitative analysis of cpDNA heteroplasmy levels at a triazine-resistance determining site within and between individual Senecio vulgaris plants. Detectable levels of heteroplasmic haplotypes were observed in all tested plants. As expected, the levels of heteroplasmy vary greatly between plants. However, even within individual plants, the fraction of one haplotype may cover a range from below 1% to well over 90%. Our results suggest that heteroplasmy may be a common phenomenon in S. vulgaris. Possible consequences for molecular diagnostics of chloroplast encoded traits as well as evolutionary consequences of chloroplast heteroplasmy are discussed.

Cloning, sequencing and expression in Escherichia coli of the ptsI gene encoding enzyme I of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase transport system from Streptococcus salivarius

We present the cloning and sequencing of the ptsI gene, encoding enzyme I (EI) of the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP): sugar phosphotransferase (PTS) transport system from Streptococcus salivarius. The ptsI gene corresponds to an open reading frame of 1731 nucleotides, which translates into a putative 577-amino acid (aa) protein with a M(r) of 62,948 and a pI of 4.49. The EI was produced in Escherichia coli under the control of its own promoter located immediately upstream of ptsI, a situation never previously reported for any other gene coding for an EI. The deduced aa sequence of the S. salivarius EI shows a high degree of similarity with the E. coli EI and the EI moiety of the multiphosphoryl transfer protein from Rhodobacter capsulatus. The S. salivarius EI also shares a highly conserved aa cluster with a non-PTS protein, the maize pyruvate:orthophosphate dikinase. The conserved cluster is located in a domain which is hypothesized to be the PEP-binding site.

The effect of methylation outside the recognition sequence of restriction endonuclease PvuII on its cleavage efficiency

This study is to extend our earlier observation that Dam and Dcm methylation outside the PvuII recognition sequence inhibited PvuII cleavage in one of the three PvuII sites of pGEM4Z-ras DNA. In this paper, a new recombinant plasmid DNA, pGEM4-SV40ori-anti-ras, was constructed which has only two PvuII sites, I and II. The Dam and Dcm-methylated and unmethylated DNAs were produced in Escherichia coli and linearized by ScaI. The DNA molecules were digested with different amounts of PvuII. The results show that by comparing the DNA fragment number and intensity of the partial and final products in agarose gel, PvuII site I on the methylated DNA molecule was digested four- to eight-fold more slowly than site II. In the unmethylated plasmid DNA, the two PvuII sites were cleaved at about the same rate. The difference was caused only by methylation of Dam and Dcm sites outside the PvuII recognition sequence. A methylated Dam site immediately adjacent to the less efficiently cut PvuII site I may be responsible for the inhibitory effect. We suggest that a new parameter, involving methylation of sites outside the recognition sequence, be considered in kinetic experiments on cleavage.

The activity of the EcoRV restriction endonuclease is influenced by flanking DNA sequences both inside and outside the DNA-protein complex

The EcoRV restriction endonuclease cleaves DNA not only at its recognition sequence but also at most other sequences that differ from the recognition site by one base pair. Compared to the reaction at the recognition site, the reactions at noncognate sites are slow but 1 out of the 12 noncognate sites on the plasmid pAT153 is cleaved more than 50 times faster than any other. The increase in the reaction rate at the preferred noncognate site, relative to other sites, was caused by the DNA sequences in the 4 base pairs from either side of the site. For enhanced activity by EcoRV, particular bases were needed immediately adjacent to the site, inside the DNA-protein complex. At these loci, the protein interacts with the phosphate groups in the DNA and the flanking sequence may control the activity of the enzyme by determining the conformation of the DNA, thus aligning the phosphate contacts. But the preferential cleavage also depended on sequences further away from the site, at loci outside the complex. At external positions, beyond the reach of the protein, the EcoRV enzyme required flanking sequences that give rise to flexibility in DNA conformation. These may facilitate the distortion of the DNA required for catalysis by EcoRV.

The inhibition of restriction endonuclease PvuII cleavage activity by methylation outside its recognition sequence

The recombinant plasmid pGEM4Z-ras DNA which was methylated on dam and dcm sites outside the PvuII recognition sequence was digested with restriction endonuclease PvuII, and one of the three PvuII sites was about 16-fold less efficient to cleave than either of the other two. On the contrary, the three PvuII sites were cleaved at about the same rate on the unmethylated DNA molecule. The results show that the cleavage inhibition of the methylated DNA on the certain PvuII site was caused by methylation outside the PvuII recognition sequence. Maybe a adjacent methylated dam site *A was responsible for the less efficient cleavage. This observation suggests that methylation outside the recognition sequence may be considered a new factor in the kinetic experiment of restriction endonuclease.

Oligonucleotide cleavage by restriction endonucleases MvaI and EcoRII: a comprehensive study on the influence of structural parameters on the enzyme-substrate interaction

To elucidate the mechanism of action of the restriction endonucleases--isoschizomers EcoRII and MvaI--a study was made of their interaction with a set of synthetic oligonucleotide duplexes containing a single 5'-d(CCA/TGG)-3' EcoRII (MvaI) recognition site. The substrates had varying length and structure of the nucleotide sequences flanking the recognition site. The structure of the flanking sequence is important for the cleavage by EcoRII and MvaI enzymes; there is a structure which was found to speed up the EcoRII and MvaI action. The cleavage of oligonucleotide duplexes by EcoRII enzyme does not go to completion. EcoRII endonuclease cleaved extended substrates less efficiently than short ones. Extension of the flanking sequences, with the same nucleotide surrounding of the recognition site, substantially altered the whole kinetic pattern of MvaI hydrolysis. This was not observed with EcoRII enzyme. The restriction endonuclease MvaI distinguished between dA and dT residues in the recognition site, which was reflected in the higher rate of hydrolysis of the dA-containing strand of the quasi-palindromic DNA duplex.

Transcription of synthetic DNA containing sequences with dyad symmetry by wheat-germ RNA polymerase II. Increased rates of product release in single-step addition reactions

Interaction of purified eukaryotic RNA polymerase II with various synthetic palindromic DNA sequences is associated with the formation of transcriptional complexes of different stabilities, i.e. having different propensities for releasing the nascent transcript. This phenomenon was observed by using wheat-germ RNA polymerase II and a series of double-stranded template polymers containing palindromic repeating motifs of 6-16 bp, with regulatory alternating purine and pyrimidine bases such as d[ATA(CG)nC].d[TAT(GC)nG], with n = 1, 3 or 6 referred to as d(GC), d(GC)3 or d(GC)6, respectively. We also synthesized two double-stranded methylated polymers, containing the repeating units d(ATAm5CGm5C).d(TATGm5CG) and d[ATA(m5CG)6m5C].d[TAT(Gm5C)6G] [designated d(GmC) and d(GmC)6, respectively]. All of these polymers served as templates for the reaction of single-step addition of CTP to a CpG primer catalysed by wheat-germ RNA polymerase II, to an extent that seems well correlated with the number of potential initiation sites within the DNA molecules. Furthermore, in these reactions, the enzyme appears to form relatively stable transcriptional complexes, as trinucleotide product was released only very slowly. In marked contrast to the results with the CpG primer, the single-step addition reaction primed by UpA, i.e. the synthesis of UpApU proceeded at a much higher velocity and was strongly enhanced by increasing the d(G-C) content of the repeating units of the DNA polymers. Thus, taking into account the number of potential sites at which UpApU synthesis could occur, the extent of UpApU synthesis was increased about 12-fold with d(GC)6 compared to that with the d(GC) template. The catalytic nature of the reaction necessarily implies that the stability of the transcription complexes with the plant RNA polymerase II decreased as the d(G-C) content of the repeating motif increased. Furthermore, although the synthesis of CpGpC could be demonstrated with d(GmC)6 as template, the UpA-primed synthesis of UpApU could not be detected with this polymer. The results obtained in transcription of these polymers are discussed in relation to the potential involvement of palindromic DNA in transcription termination and attenuation in the presence of RNA polymerase II.

A complex family of class-II restriction endonucleases, DsaI-VI, in Dactylococcopsis salina

A series of class-II restriction endonucleases (ENases) was discovered in the halophilic, phototrophic, gas-vacuolated cyanobacterium Dactylococcopsis salina sp. nov. The six novel enzymes are characterized by the following recognition sequences and cut positions: 5'-C decreases CRYGG-3' (DsaI); 5'-GG decreases CC-3' (DsaII); 5'-R decreases GATCY-3' (DsaIII); 5'-G decreases GWCC-3' (DsaIV); 5'-decreases CCNGG-3' (DsaV); and 5'-GTMKAC-3' (DsaVI), where W = A or T, M = A or C, K = G or T, and N = A, G, C or T. In addition, traces of further possible activity were detected. DsaI has a novel sequence specificity and DsaV is an isoschizomer of ScrFI, but with a novel cut specificity. A purification procedure was established to separate all six ENases, resulting in their isolation free of contaminating nuclease activities. DsaI cleavage is influenced by N6-methyladenine residues [derived from the Escherichia coli-encoded DNA methyltransferase (MTase) M.Eco damI] within the overlapping sequence, 5'-CCRYMGGATC-3'; DsaV hydrolysis is inhibited by a C-5-methylcytosine residue in its recognition sequence (5'-CMCNGG-3'), generated in some DsaV sites by the E. coli-encoded MTase, M.Eco dcmI.

Association kinetics of site-specific protein-DNA interactions: roles of nonspecific DNA sites and of the molecular location of the specific site

We have applied the formalism developed previously for the kinetics of domain-localized reactions [S. Mazur and M. T. Record, Jr. (1986) Biopolymers 25, 985-1008] to describe complex mechanisms of association of a protein with a specific site on a large DNA molecule also containing many nonspecific binding sites. These nonspecific sites participate in the mechanism of formation of the specific complex through competitive binding and the facilitating mechanisms of sliding and transfer. The effects of localizing the sites in a domain are represented by a simple algebraic expression, and the sequence of interactions within the domain are described by equations closely related to a conventional, homogeneous solution mechanism. We apply this formalism to examine the interplay between sliding and direct transfer in domain-localized interactions in general and in the lac repressor-lac operator interaction in particular. Experimental investigation of the effect of the molecular location of the specific site (e.g., end vs middle of the polymer chain) on the kinetics of association may allow the contributions of sliding and direct transfer to be resolved.

Ksp632I, a novel class-IIS restriction endonuclease from Kluyvera sp. strain 632 with the asymmetric hexanucleotide recognition sequence: 5'-CTCTTC(N)1-3' 3'-GAGAAG(N)4-5'

A new class-IIS restriction endonuclease, Ksp632I, with novel sequence specificity has been discovered in a non-pathogenic species of Kluyvera. The presence of only a single site-specific activity in this Kluyvera sp. strain 632 enables Ksp632I to be isolated in highly purified form free of contaminating nucleases. Ksp632I recognition sites and cleavage positions were deduced using experimental and computer-assisted mapping and sequencing. The cleavage specificity corresponds to the sequence 5'-CTCTTCN decreases NNN-N-3' 3'-GAGAAGN-NNN increases N-5'. The enzyme recognizes an asymmetric hexanucleotide sequence and cleaves in the presence of Mg2+ ions specific phosphodiester bonds in both DNA strands, 1 and 4 nucleotides distal to the recognition sequence. The staggered cuts generate 5'-protruding ends with single-stranded 5'-phosphorylated trinucleotides. Several slow cleavage sites for Ksp632I were observed on lambda cI857Sam7 DNA. Ksp632I may complement other class-IIS enzymes in the universal restriction approach and may serve as a tool for generating defined unidirectional deletions or insertions.

Calculation of individual cleavage rates from partial digests in restriction endonuclease kinetics

A correction for results obtained by an analysis of DNA molecules partially cleaved with restriction endonuclease was suggested. The correction was proved on model data. Applications to (i) electron-microscopic analysis of singly cleaved molecules, (ii) partial digestion of a circular molecule followed by complete digestion with a second enzyme, (iii) systems with great cleavage differences, and (iv) partial cleavage of end-labelled molecules were discussed.

Mutual competitive inhibition between target sites during the restriction endonuclease digestion of DNA

The reaction rate of restriction endonuclease was evaluated theoretically, considering the competition between target sites and a nonspecific DNA. An equation for the initial cleavage rate at a single site for a DNA substrate containing more than one recognition site was derived. The consequences for the study of preferential cleavage were discussed.

Characterization of the gene products produced in minicells by pSM1, a derivative of R100

At least ten polypeptides larger than 6 kilodaltons (K) are produced in minicells from the miniplasmid pSM1 in vivo. pSM1 (5804 bp) is a small derivative of the drug resistance plasmid R100 (ca. 90 kb) and carries the R100 essential replication region as well as some non-essential functions. Cloned restriction fragments of pSM1 and plasmids with deletions within pSM1 sequences were used to assign eight of the ten observed polypeptides to specific coding regions of pSM1. Two of these polypeptides were identified as RepA1 and RepA2, proteins encoded by the essential replication region of pSM1/R100. The nucleotide sequence consisting of 885 bp outside the essential replication region is presented here. This sequence contains an open reading frame, orf4, for a protein 22.9 K in size, and one of the pSM1-encoded polypeptides was identified as the orf4 gene product. Five additional polypeptides were shown to be the products of other open reading frames mapping outside the essential replication region. Specific functions have been assigned to four of these polypeptides and tentatively to the fifth.

Role of thymidine residues in DNA recognition by the EcoRI and EcoRV restriction endonucleases

We have synthesized a series of oligonucleotides containing the EcoRI (GAATTC) or EcoRV (GATATC) recognition site within which or adjacent to which thymidine was substituted by uridine or derivatives of uridine. The effects of these substitutions on the rate of the EcoRI and EcoRV catalyzed cleavage reaction were investigated. Our results show that most of the substitutions within the site are quite well tolerated by EcoRI, not, however, by EcoRV. We conclude that the thymin residues most likely are not directly involved in the recognition process of the EcoRI reaction. In contrast, they are major points of contact, between substrate and enzyme in the EcoRV reaction. The effects of substitutions in the position adjacent to the recognition site is also markedly different for EcoRI and EcoRV. Here, EcoRI seems to be considerably more selective than EcoRV.

Kinetics of circular DNA molecule digestion by restriction endonuclease. Computation of kinetic constants from time dependence of fragment concentrations

A model for kinetics of circular substrate cleavage by restriction endonuclease was formulated. The aim of the analysis of the model was to extract kinetic constants for all target sites from time-dependence of fragment concentration in reaction products. That was proved to be possible for molecules with an odd number of fragments only. A symmetry of the molecules with an even number of fragment is the cause. A solution for molecules with an odd number of fragments was found and methods for dealing with the other molecules were suggested.

alpha-Putrescinylthymine and the sensitivity of bacteriophage phi W-14 DNA to restriction endonucleases

The modified base alpha-putrescinylthymine (putT) in phi W-14 DNA blocks cleavage of the DNA by 17 of 32 Type II restriction endonucleases. The enzymes cleaving the DNA do so to widely varying extents. The frequencies of cleavage of three altered forms of the DNA show that putT blocks recognition sites either when it occurs within the site or when it is in a sequence flanking the site. The blocking is dependent on both charge and steric factors. The charge effects can be greater than the steric effects for some of the enzymes tested. All the enzymes cleaving phi W-14 DNA release discrete fragments, showing that the distribution of putT is ordered. The cleavage frequencies for different enzymes suggest that the sequence CAputTG occurs frequently in the DNA. Only TaqI of the enzymes tested appeared not to be blocked by putT, but it was slowed down. TaqI generated fragments are joinable by T4 DNA ligase.

Nucleotide sequence preference at rat liver and wheat germ type 1 DNA topoisomerase breakage sites in duplex SV40 DNA

The site specificities of the type 1 DNA topoisomerases (topo 1) from rat liver and wheat germ were investigated. The nucleotide sequence at break sites on duplex SV40 DNA were determined for 245 wheat germ topo 1 sites and 223 rat liver topo 1 sites over a region of 1781 nucleotides. The enzymes from the two different sources show similar, but not identical patterns of DNA strand breakage. The sites occur frequently, but are not broken with equal probabilities. Major sites of breakage occur on the average every one to two turns of the helix, thus if sites of breakage accurately represent topo 1 sites of activity, the DNA sequence alone would appear to place few limits on the access of the enzyme to DNA. Sequences around the strongest sites for both enzymes show a bias in base composition for the four nucleotides immediately 5' to the break site (-4 to -1 positions), but no bias is observed 3' to the site of breakage. Consensus sequences for both enzymes were determined. Variations from the consensus sequence appear to affect the two enzymes differently and may account for the differences observed in the specificity of breakage.

The influence of sequences adjacent to the recognition site on the cleavage of oligodeoxynucleotides by the EcoRI endonuclease

We have investigated the influence of the nucleotide sequence adjacent to the recognition site on the rate of cleavage of DNA by the restriction endonuclease EcoRI. For this purpose two decadeoxynucleotides, d(G-G-G-A-A-T-T-C-T-T) (Ia) and d(A-A-G-A-A-T-T-C-C-C) (Ib) were synthesized. The duplex Ia X Ib is cleaved by EcoRI preferentially in the dA-rich strand (approximately 10 times over the dG-rich strand). The individual nucleotides Ia and Ib are also cleaved by EcoRI, Ib at a higher rate than Ia and both at a lower rate than Ia X Ib. The temperature dependence of the reaction rate shows that only double-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides are substrates for the EcoRI endonuclease. We have, furthermore, synthesized oligomers of d(G-G-A-A-T-T-C-C), which contain two, three and four EcoRI sites, respectively. These oligodeoxynucleotides are preferentially cleaved at the sites next to the 5' end, where the recognition site is only flanked by one dG X dC base pair, in contrast to the other sites which are flanked by three such pairs. These data indicate that sequences adjacent to the recognition site influence the rate of cleavage: dA X dT base pairs enhance and dG X dC base pairs slow down the hydrolytic activity of the EcoRI endonuclease.

Supercoiling and the mechanism of restriction endonucleases

We have used topoisomerase I in the presence of netropsin and ethidium bromide to generate DNA molecules of varying superhelical density. Digestion by endonuclease EcoRI is sensitive to supercoiling, being maximal for the relaxed form. Endonucleases AvaI and BamHI, by contrast, are relatively unaffected. The results are interpreted in terms of the base composition of the DNA in the vicinity of these sites. dA + dT-rich regions are more susceptible to deformation than are dG + dC-rich ones. Analysis of the rates of disappearance of linear molecules confirms a two-step mechanism for EcoRI cleavage but suggests that BamHI and AvaI cleave both strands simultaneously.

Analysis of DNA structural patterns and sequence organization at the larval cuticle locus in Drosophila melanogaster

We examined the pattern of DNA organization at the larval cuticle gene complex 44D of Drosophila melanogaster, using micrococcal nuclease and the 1,10-phenanthroline-cuprous complex. The initial cleavage patterns obtained with both reagents exhibited "gaps" at the positions of each of the genes examined, as well as at a pseudogene sequence contained within the complex. An additional gap for which no gene exists was observed for both patterns. The cleavage pattern obtained with micrococcal nuclease was unaltered, at a level of resolution of +/- 50 base pairs, in a mutant containing a transposable element. Analysis of the sequence data from this 5.5-kilobase gene cluster indicated that the sequence per se, and not the general base composition, is a dominant factor in determining the patterns observed.

Analysis of DNA structural patterns and sequence organization at the larval cuticle locus in Drosophila melanogaster

We examined the pattern of DNA organization at the larval cuticle gene complex 44D of Drosophila melanogaster, using micrococcal nuclease and the 1,10-phenanthroline-cuprous complex. The initial cleavage patterns obtained with both reagents exhibited "gaps" at the positions of each of the genes examined, as well as at a pseudogene sequence contained within the complex. An additional gap for which no gene exists was observed for both patterns. The cleavage pattern obtained with micrococcal nuclease was unaltered, at a level of resolution of +/- 50 base pairs, in a mutant containing a transposable element. Analysis of the sequence data from this 5.5-kilobase gene cluster indicated that the sequence per se, and not the general base composition, is a dominant factor in determining the patterns observed.

Site-dependent cleavage of pBR322 DNA by restriction endonuclease HinfI

Cleavage of pBR322 DNA I by the restriction endonuclease HinfI is preferentially inhibited at specific HinfI cleavage sites. These sites in pBR322 DNA I have been identified and ordered with respect to the frequency with which they are cleaved. The HinfI site most resistant to cleavage in pBR322 DNA I is unique in that runs of G-C base pairs are immediately adjacent on both sites. Two differently permuted linear (DNA III) species were produced by cleavage with two different restriction endonucleases, PstI and AvaI. Only one of these linear molecules, that produced by PstI, exhibits the same preferential cleavage pattern as DNA I. The second linear species, that arising from AvaI digestion, shows pronounced relative inhibition of cleavage at the HinfI sites nearest the ends of the molecule (100 to 120 base pairs away, respectively). This result suggest that proximity to the termini of a linear DNA molecule might also influence preferential cleavage. The possibility of formation of stem-loop structures does not appear to influence preferential cleavage by HinfI.

Analysis of chromatin structure and DNA sequence organization: use of the 1,10-phenanthroline-cuprous complex

Limited treatment of Drosophila nuclei with the 1,10-phenanthroline-cuprous complex leads to rapid production of nucleosomal ladders indistinguishable from those obtained by micrococcal nuclease digestion. An investigation of the preferential sites of cleavage of protein-free DNA at locus 67B1 surprisingly indicated that both reagents recognized very similar features. Thus, a virtually identical pattern of preferential cleavages was generated over a 12 kb fragment encoding four transcripts at this locus. The distribution of cleavage sites was highly non-random, with major sites falling in the spacers between the genes. Both reagents cleaved certain chromatin-specific sites near the 5' ends of the genes. However, an analysis of preferential cleavages at the sequence level did not reveal the same close correspondence. We suggest that both reagents can recognize some localized secondary structural features of the DNA and that the particular distribution of sequences present at this locus results in a distinctive pattern of cleavage sites that delineates gene and spacer segments.