DNA signaling among proteins with iron-sulfur clusters

Abstract

DNA-mediated charge transport can yield redox chem. over long mol. distances in a reaction that reports on the integrity of the intervening base stack. Moreover, increasingly, proteins involved in DNA replication and repair have been found to contain 4Fe-4S clusters, common redox cofactors in biol. DNA- modified electrodes have been utilized to det. redox potentials for these metalloproteins bound to DNA; this electrochem. establishes the ability of the metalloproteins to carry out redox chem. at physiol. potentials in the DNA- bound form. Studies are also described to characterize how these DNA-binding proteins contg. 4Fe-4S clusters may utilize DNA charge transport chem. for long range redox signaling.