[Structure of the ARS element from telomeres of Drosophila melanogaster]

We have determined the nucleotide sequence of 0.7 kb Drosophila DNA fragment specifying autonomous replication of plasmids in yeast. As shown by deletion mapping, the ARS consists of at least two domains: the core possessing the classical 11-member sequence 5'-TAAATATAAAT and the enhancer of no more than 92 nucleotide pairs located at the 3' end of the core. While comparing the sequence of the enhancer with those of 14 different ARS, we failed to detect essential homology regions. ARS elements' flanks, adjacent to the core that serve as enhancer, most probably have no regions detectable as consensus. It is suggested that they are responsible for the peculiar features of DNA secondary structure (bending, for instance) which are necessary for the interaction of proteins with ARS elements.