Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1991 Feb;65(2):677-86.
doi: 10.1128/JVI.65.2.677-686.1991.

Single-stranded structures are present within plasmids containing the Epstein-Barr virus latent origin of replication

R Orlowski  1 , G Miller
Affiliations

Single-stranded structures are present within plasmids containing the Epstein-Barr virus latent origin of replication

R Orlowski et al. J Virol. 1991 Feb.

Abstract

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent origin of plasmid replication (oriP) contains two essential regions, a family of repeats with 20 imperfect copies of a 30-bp sequence and a dyad symmetry element with four similar 30-bp repeats. Each of the repeats has an internal palindromic sequence and can bind EBNA 1, a protein that together with oriP constitutes the only viral element necessary for EBV maintenance and replication. Using single-strand-specific nucleases, we have probed plasmids containing oriP-derived sequences for the presence of secondary structural elements. Multiple single-stranded structures were detected within the oriP region. Of the two essential elements of oriP, the family of repeats seemed to extrude these structures at a much higher frequency than did sequences within the dyad symmetry region. Though negative supercoiling was found to stabilize the single-stranded structures, they showed significant stability even after linearization of the oriP plasmids. Two major single-stranded structures detected involved approximately 12 bp of DNA. These loci could be transiently unwound regions that form because of negative supercoiling and the high A + T content of this region of DNA, or they could be cruciform structures extruded within the palindromic sequences of oriP that may be important sites for protein-DNA interactions in the EBV oriP.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. J Mol Biol. 1987 Jan 20;193(2):359-76 - PubMed
    1. J Virol. 1985 Oct;56(1):293-7 - PubMed
    1. J Biol Chem. 1987 Aug 15;262(23):11364-8 - PubMed
    1. Mol Cell Biol. 1985 May;5(5):930-42 - PubMed
    1. Mol Cell Biol. 1985 Feb;5(2):410-3 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources