Sequence-Specific Cleavage of Double Helical DNA by Triple Helix Formation

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Abstract
Homopyrimidine oligodeoxyribonucleotides with EDTA-Fe attached at a single position bind the corresponding homopyrimidine-homopurine tracts within large double-stranded DNA by triple helix formation and cleave at that site. Oligonucleotides with EDTA.Fe at the 5' end cause a sequence specific double strand break. The location and asymmetry of the cleavage pattern reveal that the homopyrimidine-EDTA probes bind in the major groove parallel to the homopurine strand of Watson-Crick double helical DNA. The sequence-specific recognition of double helical DNA by homopyrimidine probes is sensitive to single base mismatches. Homopyrimidine probes equipped with DNA cleaving moieties could be useful tools for mapping chromosomes.