Binding of 5-bromouracil-containing S/MAR DNA to the nuclear matrix

Substitution of thymine with 5-bromouracil in DNA is known to change interaction between DNA and proteins, thereby inducing various biological phenomena. We hypothesize that A/T-rich scaffold/nuclear matrix attachment region (S/MAR) sequences are involved in the effects of 5-bromodeoxyuridine. We examined an interaction between DNA containing an intronic S/MAR sequence of the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene and nuclear halos prepared from HeLa cells. Upon substitution with 5-bromouracil, the S/MAR DNA bound more tightly to the nuclear halos. The multi-functional nuclear matrix protein YY1 was also found to bind more strongly to 5-bromouracil-substituted DNA containing its recognition motif. These results are consistent with the above hypothesis.