Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

High-resolution structure of a DNA helix containing mismatched base pairs

  • Letter
  • Published:

From Nature

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Abstract

The concept of complementary base pairing, integral to the double-helical structure of DNA, provides an effective and elegant mechanism for the faithful transmission of genetic information1,2. Implicit in this model, however, is the potential for incorporating non-complementary base pairs (mismatches) during replication or subsequently, for example, during genetic recombination3,4. As such errors are usually damaging to the organism, they are generally detected and repaired. Occasionally, however, the propagation of erroneous copies of the genome confers a selective advantage, leading to genetic variation and evolutionary change. An understanding of the nature of base-pair mismatches at a molecular level, and the effect of incorporation of such errors on the secondary structure of DNA is thus of fundamental importance. We now report the first single-crystal X-ray analysis of a DNA fragment, d(GGGGCTCC), which contains two non-complementary G·T base pairs, and discuss the implications of the results for the in vivo recognition of base-pair mismatches.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Watson, J. D. & Crick, F. H. C. Nature 171, 737 (1953).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Watson, J. D. & Crick, F. H. C. Nature 171, 964–967 (1953).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Radding, C. M. A. Rev. Biochem. 47, 847–880 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Hotchkiss, R. D A. Rev. Microbiol. 28, 445 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Topal, M. D. & Fresco, J. R. Nature 263, 285–293 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Crick, F. H. C. J. molec. Biol. 19, 548–555 (1976).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Ladner, J. E. et al. Nucleic Acids Res. 2, 1629–1637 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Quigley, G. J., Seeman, N. C., Wang, A. H.-J., Suddath, F. L. & Rich, A. Nucleic Acids Res. 2, 2329–2335 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Sussman, J. L. & Kim, S. H. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 68, 89–96 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Stout, C. D. et al. Nucleic Acids Res. 3, 1111–1123 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Mizuno, H. & Sundaralingham, M. Nucleic Acids Res. 5, 4451–4461 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Patel, D. J. et al. Biochemistry 21, 437–444 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Patel, D. J., Kozlowski, S. A., Ikuta, S. & Itakura, K. Fedn Proc. 43, 2663–2670 (1984).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Early, T. A., Olmstead, J. III, Kearns, D. R. & Lezius, A. G. Nucleic Acids Res. 5, 1955–1965 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Fersht, A. R., Shi, J.-P. & Tsui, W.-C. J. molec. Biol. 165, 655–667 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Chuprina, V. P. & Poltev, V. I. Nucleic Acids Res. 11, 5205–5222 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Rein, R., Shibata, M., Gardino-Juarez, R. & Keiber-Emmons, T. in Structure and Dynamics of Nucleic Acids and Proteins (eds Clementi, E. & Sarma, R.) 269–288 (Adenine, New York, 1983).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Shakked, Z. & Kennard, O. in Biological Macromolecules and Assemblies Vol. 2 (eds McPherson, A. & Jurnak, F.) 1–36 (Wiley, New York, 1985).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Dickerson, R. E. J. molec. Biol. 166, 419–441 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Wang, A. H. J. et al. Science 211, 171–176 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Shakked, Z. et al. J. molec. Biol. 166, 183–201 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. McCall, M., Brown, T., Cruse, W. B. T. & Kennard, O. Acta crystallogr. A40, 6–46 (1984).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Gait, M. J., Matthes, H. W. D., Singh, M., Sproat, B. S. & Titmus, R. C. Nucleic Acids Res. 10, 6243–6248 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Arnott, S. & Hukins, D. W. I. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 47, 1504–1509 (1972).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Sussman, J. L., Holbrook, S. R., Church, G. M. & Kim, S.-H. Acta crystallogr. 33, 800–804 (1977).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Hendrickson, W. A. & Konnert, J. H. in Biomolecular Structure Conformation, Function and Evolution Vol. 1 (ed. Srinivasan, R.) 43–57 (Pergamon, Oxford, 1981).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  27. Saenger, W. Principles of Nucleic Acid Structure (Springer, New York, 1984).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  28. Havan, T. E., Berkonich-Yellin, Z. & Shakked, Z. Biomolec. Struct. Dynam. 2, 397–412 (1984).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Calladine, C. R. J. molec. Biol. 161, 343–352 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Loeb, A. L. & Kunkel, T. A. A. Rev. Biochem. 51, 429–457 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Topal, M. D., DiGuiseppi, S. R. & Sinha, N. K. J. biol. Chem. 255, 11717–11724 (1980).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Gillan, F. D. & Nossal, H. G. J. biol. Chem. 51, 5225–5232 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  33. Gillan, F. D. & Nossal, N. G. J. biol. Chem. 51, 5219–5224 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  34. Hershfield, M. S. J. biol. Chem. 248, 1417–1423 (1973).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Hal, Z. W. & Lehman, I. R. J. molec. Biol. 36, 321–333 (1969).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Kornberg, A. DNA Replication (W. H. Freeman, San Francisco, 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  37. Fersht, A. R., Knill-Jones, J. W. & Tsui, W. C. J. molec. Biol. 156, 37–51 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Drew, H. R. & Travers, A. Cell 37, 491–502 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Frederick, C. A. et al. Nature 309, 327–331 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Wing, R. et al. Nature 287, 755–758 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Fratini, A. V., Kopka, M. L., Drew, H. R. & Dickerson, R. E. J. biol. Chem. 257, 14686–14707 (1982).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Chemical Laboratory, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK

    Tom Brown, Olga Kennard & Geoff Kneale

  2. The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel

    Dov Rabinovich

Authors
  1. Tom Brown
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Olga Kennard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Geoff Kneale
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Dov Rabinovich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Brown, T., Kennard, O., Kneale, G. et al. High-resolution structure of a DNA helix containing mismatched base pairs. Nature 315, 604–606 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/315604a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/315604a0

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation