Antibodies to unusual DNA structures

Abstract

To illustrate the potential use of the antibodies to nucleic acids as biochemical reagents, two examples are given. The first one deals with the characterization, at the nucleotide level, of the confonnation of the repeat unit of a satellite DNA which, in situ, is strongly recognized by the antibodies to Z-DNA. It is shown by means of the chemical probe diethylpyrocarbonate. in the presence/absence of the antibodies to Z-DNA that this repeat  unit contains a (ACrrich region which adopts the Z conformation under topological stress. It is also shown that the repeat unit contains two inverted sequences which form a cruciform structure under topological stress. The second example deals with the antibodies to poly (dG~dC) modified by the antitumor drug cis-diantminedichloroplatinum (II), These antibod~es cross-react with the platinated (dC-dG)5 with an interstrand adduct. The conclusion is that the platina ted oligonucleotide is a good model for the interstrand adduct formed in platinated natural DNA.