Systematic Variation in DNA Length Yields Highly Ordered Repressor-Operator Cocrystals
Abstract
Crystals have been grown that contain the operator-binding domain of the λ repressor and the λ operator site OL1. Crystallization conditions were tested with a set of DNA fragments, ranging in length from 17 to 23 base pairs. The best crystals were grown with a 20-base pair DNA fragment. These crystals have space-group symmetry P21, with unit cell dimensions a = 37.1 angstrom, b = 68.8 angstrom, c = 56.8 angstrom, and a β angle of 91.5 degrees. They diffracted to at least 2.5 angstrom resolution. High resolution data from these crystals should allow the direct determination of how a repressor recognizes its operator site.
- Publication:
-
Science
- Pub Date:
- December 1985
- DOI:
- 10.1126/science.3906896
- Bibcode:
- 1985Sci...230.1383J