Sequence specificity of DNA cleavage by Micrococcus luteus gamma endonuclease

Gamma irradiation induces the formation of lesions in DNA that are cleaved by an endonuclease activity in Micrococcus luteus extract. DNA fragments of defined sequence an DNA sequencing techniques were used to determine the sites of cleavage by this activity. /sup 32/P end-labelled DNA restriction fragments were gamma irradiated under N/sub 2/ and in the presence of KI (conditions which maximize the enzyme sensitive site to strand break ratio), treated with M. luteus extract, and analyzed by electrophoresis on denaturing polyacrylamide gels. Irradiated DNA was preferentially cleaved by the extract at sites of cytosine and thymine. Little or no cleavage was observed at purines. Scission of 3' end-labelled DNA at altered pyrimidines resulted in fragments that had electrophoretic mobilities similar to those of DNA fragments that were phosphorylated at the 5' terminus. The presence of a 5' phosphate was confirmed by a change in electrophoretic mobility after phosphatase treatment of the fragments. The sites of endonucleolytic cleavage by M. luteus extract were compared to those of the purified Escherichia coli endonuclease III, which has been shown to be active against x-irradiated DNA. Preliminary results from velocity sedimentation studies indicate that these two enzyme preparations differ in specificity