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Updated: Jul 22, 2025

Atomic Force Microscopy Investigations of DNA Lesion Recognition in Nucleotide Excision Repair
Published on: May 24, 2017
Register-Shifted Structures in Base-Flipped Uracil-Damaged DNA
Paul B Orndorff1, Arjan van der Vaart1
1Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, CHE 205, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States.
Abstract:
We report the occurrence of register-shifted structures in simulations of uracil-containing dsDNA. These occur when the 3' base vicinal to uracil is thymine in U:A base-paired DNA. Upon base flipping of uracil, this 3' thymine hydrogen bonds with the adenine across the uracil instead of its complementary base. The register-shifted structure is persistent and sterically blocks re-entry of uracil into the helix stack. Register shifting might be important for DNA repair since the longer exposure of the lesion in register-shifted structures could facilitate enzymatic recognition and repair.
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