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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Analyzing and Building Nucleic Acid Structures with 3DNA
Published on: April 26, 2013
Structure of NaeI-DNA complex reveals dual-mode DNA recognition and complete dimer rearrangement
Q Huai1, J D Colandene, M D Topal
1Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7260, USA.
Abstract:
NaeI, a novel DNA endonuclease, shows topoisomerase and recombinase activities when a Lys residue is substituted for Leu 43. The NaeI-DNA structure demonstrates that each of the two domains of NaeI recognizes one molecule of DNA duplex. DNA recognition induces dramatic rearrangements: narrowing the binding site of the Topo domain 16 A to grip DNA, widening that of the Endo domain 8 A to encircle and bend DNA 45 degrees for cleavage, and completely rebuilding the homodimer interface. The NaeI-DNA structure presents the first example of novel recognition of two copies of one DNA sequence by two different amino acid sequences and two different structural motifs in one polypeptide.
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