A thermodynamic basis of DNA sequence selectivity by the ETS domain of murine PU.1

The ETS domain of the transcription factor PU.1 tolerates a large number of DNA cognate variants that differ exclusively in the sequences flanking a critical central consensus, 5'-GGAA-3'. We investigated the thermodynamics of site selection by the DNA-binding domain by following the PU.1 ETS/DNA equilibrium with a large set of cognate variants under various temperature and salt conditions by filter binding. Our results indicate that the stability of the ETS/DNA complex is quantitatively tied to variations in the change in heat capacity. Thermodynamic effects induced by changing Na(+) concentrations from 150 mM to 250 mM are complex and not readily interpreted by polyelectrolyte theory. We also extended our understanding of data from our previous investigation on energetic base-neighbour coupling, by dissecting the thermodynamic contributions underlying the observed free-energy coupling. In conjunction with available structural and biochemical data, we propose that site selectivity by the PU.1 ETS domain arises from differential protein/DNA contacts in the flanking sequences that modulate the orientation of the ETS recognition helix and trigger a coupled reduction in the flexibility observed in the unbound ETS domain.