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Relating DNA base-pairing in aqueous media to DNA polymerase fidelity

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Controversy surrounds the perceived absence of a relationship between DNA polymerase fidelity (kinetic discrimination) and free energy changes determined from DNA melting studies (thermodynamic discrimination). Thermodynamic discrimination together with aqueous solvent effects can account for kinetic fidelities on the order of those observed experimentally.

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Figure 1: Correlation between ΔS° and ΔH° associated with melting nearest-neighbour doublets in DNA.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank C. H. Mak and K. Oertell for insightful discussions, and J. G. Bertram for collating the data. This work was supported by the US National Institutes of Health (Grant Nos ES012259, U19CA177547 and GM214422 to M.F.G.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California,

    John Petruska & Myron F. Goodman

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90089, California, USA

    Myron F. Goodman

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  1. John Petruska
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  2. Myron F. Goodman
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Correspondence to Myron F. Goodman.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Petruska, J., Goodman, M. Relating DNA base-pairing in aqueous media to DNA polymerase fidelity. Nat Rev Chem 1, 0074 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-017-0074

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-017-0074

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