Identification of genomic DNA sequences bound by mutant p53 protein (Gly245→Ser) in vivo

Abstract
Mutant p53 proteins were shown to exert complex DNA-interactions in vitro, like binding to MAR-DNA, but so far it is unknown whether such interactions also occur in vivo. Therefore we analysed the binding of mutant (mut) p53 (Gly245→Ser) in Onda 11 glioma cells to cellular DNA in vivo, using p53-specific chromatin immunoprecipitation (CHIP) after in vivo cross-linking of mut p53 to genomic DNA with cisplatin. We identified genomic DNA fragments to which mut p53 (Gly245→Ser) could be cross-linked in vivo. Purified recombinant mut p53 (Gly245→Ser) was able to bind specifically to such elements in PCR-EMSA in vitro, supporting the idea that this mut p53 protein interacts with genomic DNA in vivo. The genomic DNA fragments identified are vastly different in sequence, but display as a common feature a high likelihood to adopt a non B-DNA conformation. Therefore we propose that structural determinants within these DNA elements are important for their interaction with mut p53 (Gly245→Ser) in vivo.